


100 Ways to say I Love You

by Hanaasbananas



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Post-Relationship, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 31,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29092830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanaasbananas/pseuds/Hanaasbananas
Summary: There are many people who love, but none can love like I do...because they don't have you- Aman MathurA series of unconnected one shots detailing the many different ways Adrien and Marinette say those three little words.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 307
Kudos: 351





	1. I was in the neighbourhood (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a new project! Mostly I'm doing this to get into the habit of writing everyday so I will be using prompts from [this list](https://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) and [this one ](https://sunflowers-and-bucky.tumblr.com/post/183656201657/100-ways-to-say-i-love-you)
> 
> If you guys wanna suggest any you'd like to see, you can do that here or on tumblr! 
> 
> Each chapter will stand alone unless specified otherwise.

_ Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.  _

Marinette glared halfheartedly down at her shoes as she walked, hiking her bag back up onto her shoulder and wincing as the buckle squeaked at the harsh movement. 

She wouldn’t have minded the long walk home-had in fact been enjoying it..right up until a bus had passed her by in the rain, driving through a puddle and drenching Marinette from head to toe in the ensuing tidal wave. Now, with her jacket plastered uncomfortably to her skin and her hair hanging in limp rats tails around her face she was a truly pathetic sight. 

It was times like this-trudging home in the dark after a long and miserable day, with nothing but an empty house waiting for her- that she regretted moving out. 

Sure, it was easier to be Ladybug when she didn’t have to lie to her parents about where she’d been, and yeah, having a housemate who practically lived at her boyfriends house meant that she had a two bedroom house  _ to herself _ without even having to deal with all the usual housemate woes that plagued university students.

Really, it was a perfectly ideal situation, but…it was so  _ lonely. _ Even with Tikki to keep her company, Marinette had taken to turning on Netflix or random podcasts whenever she was home, just to combat the ever present silence.

Even facetiming Adrien every night didn’t help, serving only to remind her that he wasn’t there  _ with  _ her. Still, she tried to remain upbeat during their calls but she was pretty sure he’d started to notice her flagging spirits weren’t just a product of a heavy workload and deadlines.

Maman and papa called whenever they could as well, of course, and so did Alya, but speaking to her parents on the phone just wasn’t the  _ same _ as helping them to make dinner, working upstairs in the evening and hearing the low hum of conversation drift up to her room, knowing that she wasn’t alone. 

Marinette sniffed loudly, scrubbing her eyes roughly as her house came into view, taking in the darkened windows, warm lights from the neighbours on either side making her own place look even bleaker. 

It wasn’t until she got a little closer that she noticed the person leaning against her front door. Squinting to get a better look, Marinette quickened her pace, heart fluttering in her chest as she recognised him.

_ Adrien. _

He hadn’t seen her yet, his head bowed over his phone, but she’d know that blonde head of hair anywhere. 

“Adrien?!” 

He jumped at her voice, almost dropping his phone in surprise before stepping forward so that she could see him more clearly underneath the street lights. 

“Hi-” he began but Marinette didn’t give him a chance to continue, barreling into his chest and sending him stumbling back with a noise of surprise before his arms came up to wrap around her back and hold her to him. 

Adrien was  _ here _ . He was here, and real, and solid beneath her palms. She could feel the rough texture of his jacket as she clutched tightly to the front of it, the open zip digging into her palms; could feel the slow rise and fall of his chest and she found herself suddenly mute, unable to speak around the lump in her throat as tears came unbidden to her eyes. 

Pressing her face into his chest, Marinette breathed in deeply, letting herself relax in Adriens arms as his hands rubbed up and down her back soothingly. She didn’t know how long they stood like that in front of her door, but eventually the knot in her chest loosened and she pulled away. 

“Not that I’m not glad to see you,” Marinette said slowly, flushing underneath his knowing gaze.  “But what are you doing here?” 

“Oh, well,” Adrien murmured, looking down at her softly, his green eyes seeming to twinkle in the glow of the streetlights.  A smile played about his lips as he toyed with an errant strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear and she leaned into the touch, her eyes shutting involuntarily when his palm slid up to cup the back of her head and he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“I was just in the neighbourhood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I like the ending of this but that's the whole point of this project-to post stuff without obsessing over it being perfect so...*shrugs*
> 
> Did I channel all of my first year of uni loneliness/angst into this chapter? Yes. And what about it? Unfortunately, the bus puddle thing really _did_ happen to me while I was walking to the bus stop. I did not however have a nice boyfriend waiting outside my house to surprise me.  
> The only good thing that happened that day was the bus driver let me on without paying the full fare when I didn't have it because I looked like a drowned rat. 
> 
> Writing this chapter also reminded me of the really creepy bollards that were on Clarendon Park-the road I walked down to get home- because of the primary school but lemme tell you: walking down that road in the dark and thinking you just walked into a small child when it's just a [STATUE OF A CHILD IN SCHOOL UNIFORM WHO ALSO HAS CHIPPED FEATURES](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/child-bollards.html)  
> is absolutely bloody traumatising.


	2. I made your favourite (Marichat)

The night sky was dark, heavy with clouds that obscured the moon from view. It was an uncharacteristically quiet night in Paris, the threat of rain as well as the biting cold serving as enough of a reason for people to stay indoors. 

With every exhale, Chat’s breath puffed out in front of him in a white cloud as he vaulted across rooftops, barely stopping long enough to catch his breath in an effort to keep warm. 

Pausing briefly, he surveyed the street below him, taking a moment to bask in the silence. If it wasn’t so freezing, he might have stayed out longer. As it was, he’d only just finished patrolling and was looking forward to getting home and crawling straight into bed where he’d left a hot water bottle under the covers. 

“Chat Noir!” his head snapped up and he saw Marinette standing out on her roof, waving at him from her balcony. “Chat Noir-” she called again but the rest of her words were carried away by a sudden gust of wind. Huffing in frustration, she beckoned for him to come closer. 

He hesitated for a moment before crossing over to her balcony, leaning beside her against the railing. Marinette was wearing a thick dressing gown, practically drowning in the material, her hair loose around her shoulders and he noticed a smudge of flour across her forehead. 

His fingers twitched by his side and he clenched them into a fist, resisting the urge to reach out and wipe it away, to let his fingers linger against her soft skin. Chat ducked his head quickly as his cheeks warmed, hoping that Marinette would believe the flush was from the cold. 

“Here–” Marinette shoved a flask into his hands. “I thought you looked a little cold when I saw you earlier so...I made your favourite.” 

Chat blinked. Stared down at the flask in his hands. Blinked again. Bringing it up to his mouth to take a sip, he paused. 

“Salted caramel?”

“With extra whipped cream.”

Eyebrows rising in surprise, he smirked. “You spoil me, princess.” Chat sighed happily as warmth seeped through the cup and into his hands. “Seriously though, _thank you._ ”

Marinette flushed, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh it was nothing,” she muttered, turning away, but not before he caught the pleased smile tugging at her lips. “This isn’t gonna be a regular occurence though, so don’t get used to it.

“Of course not.” Chat agreed, nodding sagely. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“Good.” Marinette hesitated for a moment before continuing, “you can stay to finish the drink here though, it would be a waste if you spilled it on your way home. Leave the flask o the table and i’ll grab it in the morning, but i’m going to sleep.”

Chat grinned, taking a long sip of the hot chocolate as he watched her retreating back. “As you wish.”


	3. I just wanted to hear your voice (Ladrien)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I've never written Ladrien before so idk if this one is any good

Adrien couldn’t sleep. 

The usual sleep playlist he put on for nights like this was halfway through it’s second loop and still he was wide awake, his mind replaying the events of the day before. 

_ 00:59...01.00...01.01...01.02 _

He stared silently at the blinking digits of his alarm clock, the red numbers glowing brightly in the dark, taunting him with their colour. 

Red

Ladybug’s colour. 

The colour her face had been when she’d given him the number to her burner phone. Adrien  _ still _ couldn’t believe it. He had her number as Chat Noir, of course, but this was different. This was  _ Adrien _ she’d given it to. 

They’d been-not dating, because it was near impossible for the two of them to go out on normal dates, but...testing the waters for two weeks now. Mostly through sneaky makeout sessions with blushing faces and fumbling hands, but it had always been  _ Ladybug _ who initiated contact. Ladybug who came on late night visits to his room. Ladybug who would pull him into an alcove and kiss him senseless when he least expected it.

Not that he was complaining.

Adrien groaned, the memory of Ladybug’s lips on his jaw-one of her favourite places to kiss, as it turned out-came to the forefront of his mind. Now he’d  _ definitely  _ be staying awake. 

Turning to face the wall, he screwed his eyes shut in an effort to force himself to sleep but it was no use. His covers were twisted around his legs from tossing and turning for hours and the pillow had become flat and uncomfortable. 

Flipping back over onto his back, Adrien fished his phone out from underneath his pillow, squinting at the sudden brightness as he located Ladybug’s phone number. 

_ Ladybug’s  _ phone number. It didn’t seem real at all, but there it was in his contacts, right above Marinette’s. It almost felt like a dream. Like he’d wake up any minute now and check his phone only to see that it hadn’t happened at all. 

“I can call her right?” he asked the air, voice echoing in the silence. “We’re kind of boyfiend girlfriend now…” Still, his finger hovered over the call button, contemplating. It  _ was  _ one in the morning now. What if she was asleep?

But really, what harm could it do? 

“I’m gonna do it.” he declared “I’m gonna call her.” and before he could second guess himself, he’d pressed the button. 

She picked up on the second ring, and though he’d never admit it, Adrien let out a tiny sigh of relief. He hadn’t imagined it. It was  _ real.  _

“Adrien?” Ladybug sounded concerned “is everything alright?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he shook his head, sitting up. “I’m fine, I just...I just wanted to hear your voice. I didn’t wake you up did I?”

“Oh  _ please, _ ” Ladybug scoffed, “as if I go to bed this early.”

“Early-?! It’s one o’clock!” 

Her soft laughter swept over him, warm like honey, and Adrien couldn’t help but grin, relaxing back against his headboard. “Like I said-early. I was just finishing up some homework.”

“Anything I can help with?” 

“Nope. I just finished and anyway,” he could detect the amusement in her voice as she continued. “I have a classmate who I can get to look over my answers tomorrow. He’s really good at physics.”

“Oh really?”

“Really really.” Ladybug confirmed. “So, I am all yours right now,” she paused. “Unless Hawkmoth sends out an akuma, in which case, duty calls, but you know that.”

Adrien was glad he wasn’t on a video call, because he was sure he looked absolutely pathetically smitten.  _ All yours.  _

He liked the sound of that. 


	4. You're important too (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update because I missed yesterday. That's what happens when you start writing at midnight while in bed with a hot water bottle. You fall asleep instead.

“Oh the absolute _nerve- how dare they?!”_

Chat landed silently on the roof behind Ladybug, his brow furrowing as he watched her pace back and forth, muttering angrily to herself. She’d called him ten minutes ago, asking to meet at their usual place, but it seemed she’d been here much longer.

“My lady?” he stepped forward cautiously, recoiling when he met her gaze. 

Chat didn’t think he’d ever seen Ladybug this angry before. Annoyed, yes. Irritated-more than he could count. Angry, a few times, sure. But he’d _never_ seen her so livid, her blue eyes blazing with rage behind her mask. 

“Have you seen this?” She waved a crumpled magazine in one hand, her fist curled so tightly around the paper that he saw it was beginning to tear. Prising it out of her hands, he scanned the page, his heart sinking at the familiar headline.

“Yes.” He said, throwing the magazine to the side. Ignoring her incredulous sputtering, he continued, “but look, it’s just an opinion piece, it doesn’t matter—”

“Why didn’t you _tell_ me about this? It was written _last week_ ! I had to find out about it from Alya when she asked me if I had a response for the author!” she growled under her breath “I’ll give them an _opinion_ pi-”

“No.” Chat said firmly, grasping her by the shoulders. “That is what we _won’t_ be doing. We will _not_ be going after people who are just...expressing their dissatisfaction.”

“They’d deserve it” Ladybug muttered darkly “calling you all those names—no I’m going, and I’ll give them a piece of my mind.” She moved to grab her yo-yo but Chat moved faster. 

“Let me _go,_ Chat!” she exclaimed, yanking at her arms. 

“Not until you calm down.” His grip tightened on her wrists holding her in place as he scanned the sky above them for any butterflies. The last thing they needed was an akumatized Ladybug going after whoever wrote that article. It would grind their reputation to dust. 

“Seriously, it’s not like anything they wrote was _w_ _rong_ though, was it?” 

“ _What?”_ Ladybug turned incredulous eyes on him and Chat cringed, expecting her to redirect her anger at him, but instead, she asked softly. “You don’t really believe that, do you? Because they’re wrong!”

Chat swallowed roughly, avoiding her gaze. “Well, I see where they’re coming from is all. It doesn’t always look like I do anything important during the battles, you know?” 

“Of course you do! How many times have you gotten hurt, how many people have you saved when I’ve been distracted by the akuma? So many more people would be hurt if I didn’t have you, and they just...they said you’re _useless!”_

All the anger seemed to leave Ladybug at once and she deflated, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re _not_ useless. There isn’t one superhero in Paris. It’s not _just_ Ladybug. It’s Ladybug _and_ Chat Noir!” She sniffled “you’re important too.”

He shrugged weakly, letting go of her wrist to wipe away her tears, pausing when she leaned into the touch, grabbing hold of his wrist to keep his hand in place. “I don’t do the job for the praise, Ladybug.” 

“But still!” she protested, “it’s not _fair_.”

“Well…” Chat pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. “knowing that you think so highly of me is good enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladynoir! Oh I do love them so. I think this might be my favourite so far just because I loved writing Ladybug be so angry on his behalf lmaoo. Also, jeez I am really bad at ending these drabbles I'm always just like 'WHAT DO??'


	5. Can I have this dance? (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I asked my friend to choose today's prompt and as soon as she gave me it, my brain went 'Historical Marichat!' so here we are! She wasn't surprised because apparently I'm predictable and we all know how I feel about historical marichat...(I'm working on forgotten promises, I promise!)
> 
> And because I'm predictable I wasn't even surprised that this ended up being longer than all the other chapters lmao

He wasn’t here. 

Swallowing her disappointment, Marinette gathered her skirts in her fists and turned away, craning her neck to search for the exit. She shouldn’t have come. Shouldn’t have been so foolish as to believe his promises but she’d been just like so many other girls, taken in by pretty words and a handsome stranger. 

Had this been his plan all along? To entice her just so that he could humiliate her with his absence? And she’d fallen for it! Marinette could feel the weight of others gazes on her, taking in her simple dress, her simple hairstyle that told them she didn’t belong.

Chat had asked her here, had asked that she step foot in _his_ world for one night, and she had agreed, despite maman’s reservations, believing foolishly that she would be alright, as long as Chat was by her side. But on her own...

Invitations to the ball had been extended to everyone in the town and not just the nobility and merchants; and though the only requirement for attendance was that everyone was to wear a mask at all times so as to conceal their identities and station from others, Marinette still felt out of place. 

It was clear who among them were the richest; who wore the finest silks and newest fashions in bright colours that Marinette would never be able to wear herself. Her eyes roved over the dresses hungrily, taking in the designs and in fabrics, substituting them in her mind with the few she had at home. 

Well. At least the night wasn’t a complete loss. 

Finding the exit at last, Marinette began to make her way through the crowd, weaving around dancing couples and shoving aside large skirts as she went, muttering apologies all the way. Oh, and she’d so looked forward to tonight! Dancing at a large ball was worlds apart from dancing at the town fair, and she hadn’t even gotten to enjoy it. If she ever saw that man again, why she’d, she’d—

“Leaving so soon?” Chat’s velvety smooth voice startled her with it’s proximity, stopping Marinette in her tracks. 

“Hm?” the amusement in his voice was palpable and Marinette scowled, whirling around to face him. 

“ _You-!”_ but her words dissolved on her tongue as she took him in. Chat was dressed smartly in a black frock coat intricately embroidered with golden thread. His mask remained firmly in place over his face, though for once it did not look out of place. 

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” Chat said “I had intended to arrive early, to meet you at the doors, but...certain circumstances forced me to be late.” He sounded truly remorseful, and Marinette took in his windswept blonde hair-messier than usual- his pink cheeks as though he’d only just come in from outside. 

Had she got it wrong after all? “I-” she began “I...I thought you had tricked me, brought me here to humiliate me.”

“Never!” Chat exclaimed, causing some people to look over at them. He lowered his voice. “I would _never_ do that to you.” 

She ducked her head at his incredulous expression, berating herself for so readily thinking the worst of him. “I’m sorry.”

“What? No you have nothing to apologise for,” Chat waved a hand dismissively. “I should have sent word ahead for you, but…” 

Marinette realised with a start that there were many more eyes trained on the two of them than there had been before. She could hear confused murmuring, saw them looking back and forth between her and Chat, but he didn’t seem to notice, rocking back on his heels as he spoke under his breath to himself.

“I _had_ hoped to make my declaration in private, but I suppose this will have to do.” 

“Declaration…?” She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. 

The corners of his lips curled up in a smile as he bowed lowly, holding out a hand. Glancing up at her, his green eyes were playful, gleaming in the light as he asked: “Can I have this dance?” 

There was a gasp in the crowd, and Marinette felt the blood rushing loudly in her ears, feeling as though all eyes were on her. Chat hadn’t moved at all, looking at her expectantly until, after hesitating for a brief second, she released her grip on her skirt and placed her hand in his. 

Chat’s grin was blinding. Curling his fingers around hers, he led her towards the dance floor. “Ignore them,” he whispered, placing his other hand at the small of her back as the dance began and Marinette exhaled shakily. 

“I’m not imagining it then, they _are_ watching us?” Chat hummed in response, spinning her out and bringing her close. 

“They know who you are, don’t they?” she asked “under the mask?”

“Perhaps.” 

Both of them were silent for the rest of the dance as Marinette focused on the steps, hoping not to make a fool of herself in front of so many people. Afterwards, they made their way out into the gardens, where Chat threaded his arm through hers as they walked. 

“Why were all those people so interested in us?” 

Chat sighed.“I am from the nobility, as you know already, but uh-I have never attended these balls, and if I have, I have never danced.” 

Marinette frowned. “But then why dance with _me_?” 

“Well, I intend to court you of course.” 

“ _C-court_ _me?”_ Marinette sputtered, staring at him incredulously. 

“Yes.” He looked down at her, his eyes soft. “That’s why I was late actually.” He let go of her hand, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long velvet box. Opening it slowly, Chat showed her the delicate golden chain and pendant within. “I was getting this, to give to you as a token of my affection and it took longer than expected I-” he broke off as Marinette launched herself at him, pressing her lips to his. 

For a moment, he remained frozen in place, and Marinette hesitated, worried that she had overstepped, that he would never want to see her again, that—

—and then his mouth slanted over hers, deepening the kiss, his arms sliding down to her waist and pulling her flush against him. Marinette didn’t know how long she’d been wrapped in his embrace, but when they finally pulled away, they were both flushed and panting, and Chat’s hair was significantly more disheveled than it had been before. 

“I take it that means you like the idea of me courting you then.” Chat teased, and Marinette could only nod, pulling him in for another kiss. 


	6. Happy birthday (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, last night's chapter went down better than I thought it would! This still always catches me by surprise.
> 
> Finished the last of my birthday cake from last Friday today so I thought today's chapter should have cakes! and birthdays!  
> Also it's been a hot minute since I've written something with flashbacks so I hope it's not confusing. Enjoy!

“Marinette?” Adrien stepped into the classroom, the door clicking shut behind him “what are you doing here so early?” Walking up to her, he frowned in confusion. “Wait, what are you doing at my desk?”

* * *

_ It started with a cupcake.  _

_ After the Bubbler incident with Nino the year before, Adrien hadn’t expected much fanfare on his birthday. So when he came to school on the morning of the 4th of September, he was pleasantly surprised to see the plain white box on his table.  _

_ Inside the box sat a cupcake, perfectly topped with a swirl of blue frosting and a sprinkling of dark chocolate. Adrien glanced over at Nino, who only shrugged in response, peering into the box and pulling out a note that had been affixed to the lid.  _

_ The message in itself wasn’t unusual, wishing him a happy birthday, but it had been written in letters cut out from magazines and newspapers, as though the sender hadn’t wanted him to recognise their handwriting. _

_ (If Adrien had had a better sense of self preservation, he might have been more wary of eating the cupcake. As it was, he’d already stuffed half of it in his mouth when he read the message and so nothing could be done.) _

_ “It kind of looks like a ransom note,” Adrien mused, tracing over the letters absentmindedly. “Don’t you think? Like—” he was interrupted by a loud choking sound and turned around to see Marinette her face bright pink as she coughed, until Alya thumped her on the back hard enough that he winced in sympathy.  _

_ “Are you alright Marinette?” _

_ “Fine am! I’m fine!” Marinette exclaimed once she had caught her breath. “Just uh- this water you know,” she grabbed her water bottle and waved it around madly, almost hitting him in the face as it flew out of her hands. “Sorry!” she squeaked, staring in dismay as it bounced off his desk and rolled across the floor to Ms Bustier’s desk. She didn’t bother to go and get it, instead dropping her head down onto her desk, hiding her face from view.  _

_ Alya patted her on the back sympathetically, speaking to Adrien “would you mind grabbing that for her?” _

* * *

“Uh…” Marinette’s eyes darted around the room, as she fidgeted with the strap of her bag. “I just got here and saw this on here” she gestured to the cupcake box on his desk “I know you’ve been trying to find out who’s been leaving these every year so I thought I’d try to see if I could find something.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

* * *

_ Adrien had pretty much forgotten about the anonymous cupcake, having dismissed it as a random, one off gift. Until the next year, when another one was left on his desk the morning of his birthday.  _

_ This time, the note was typed. _

* * *

“Mhm!” Marinette nodded emphatically, “anyway, I was just about to go to the library before class so-” she went to move past him, but Adrien grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks as his mind raced, everything clicking suddenly into place.

* * *

_ “Girl,  _ when  _ are you going to tell him?!” Adrien paused when he heard Alya’s loud whisper. “You’re gonna have to at  _ some _ point.” _

_ “I  _ know _...and I will...I just. Isn’t it weird now? After so long?”  _

_ “What’s weird?” Adrien interrupted them, coming up behind Marinette, studiously ignoring the knowing look Alya gave him when his lips pulled into a grin at the way Marinette jumped at the sound of his voice. It rarely happened anymore, and he found it endearing whenever she got flustered.  _

_ “A-Adrien!” she exclaimed, her voice high as he pulled out a seat and sat down beside her. “We were talking about that new commission Jagged Stone gave me-with exams and everything, it’s a little much right now, you know?” Marinette clapped her hands briskly “but that doesn’t matter. This is a  _ study  _ group, we can talk about it later.” She peered around Adrien, looking behind him at the library. “Where’s Nino?” _

* * *

It made so much  _ sense.  _ Adrien could have slapped himself, it was so obvious. 

He’d dismissed Marinette after the third year when he’d gone to the bakery to see what they had on display and hadn’t been able to find a match for his cupcake. 

But that just meant she wasn’t taking them from the stock. She’d been making them  _ herself _ . 

Adrien remembered the conversation he’d heard between Alya and Marinette the week before-had they been talking about  _ this? _ Without letting go of Marinette’s wrist, Adrien opened the box, carefully taking out the note and flipping it open. This note was longer than any of the others had been, and this time, it was signed.

“It  _ was  _ you.” His voice was reverent when he looked up, “but...why the secrecy?”

“Well...” Marinette began haltingly, “the first time I gave you a birthday gift it didn’t go well  _ at all _ , and you remember how freaked I used to get when I tried to talk to you because of my  _ huge crush,  _ so I decided to leave you something anonymously since I couldn’t mess  _ that  _ up…”

Adrien barely heard the rest of her words, his mind latching onto the vital piece of information Marinette had let slip.  _ Huge crush _ ? She’d  _ liked  _ him? Romantically? His heart skipped a beat at the thought. How long had he been agonising over asking her out, worrying about rejection, writing bad poetry and annoying Plagg to no end as he swooned over Marinette? 

And the entire time, she’d liked him too! Had liked him longer than he had, if he’d understood her correctly. 

Plagg was right. He  _ was  _ an idiot. 

“—and it was only supposed to be a one time thing! but then you liked that first one so much and I thought, well I thought I could do it again, and it just became a Thing—”

“Marinette,” he interrupted her babbling and her mouth snapped shut. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Her eyes widened, cheeks flushing scarlet as he took a step closer, his hand sliding down from her wrist to twine his fingers with hers, cupping her face with his other hand. “Is that okay?” his thumb stroked her cheek softly, feeling the heat of her blush as she nodded dazedly, eyes fluttering closed when he lowered his head, his nose brushing hers before finally capturing her lips with his own. 

His lips moved slowly, languidly against hers, and Adrien smiled against her lips as Marinette tilted her head up in response, her hand coming up to cup the back of his neck, fingers twisting deliciously in his hair. Eventually, he pulled away, pecking her once more on the lips before resting his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. They stayed like that for a long moment, until abruptly, Marinette disentangled herself from his arms and turned away. 

As he watched, she carefully pulled the cupcake out of its box and held it out to him, smiling brightly as she said: 

“Happy birthday, Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I gotta admit, the ransom letter looking note part absolutely cracks me UP every time I read it


	7. Did you get my letter? (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this one isn't my best, but in my defense I've been cooking all day and just cranked this out.

Her phone rang at one thirty in the morning. 

Marinette waited a full minute before picking up. Adrien didn’t need to know that she’d been staring at it for an hour now, waiting for it to ring, for him to call after he’d missed their normal call time.

“You’re late.” she accused.

“I know. The dinner party ran over, I’m sorry. You weren’t waiting too long were you?” 

Marinette scoffed “as if! You’re lucky I looked at my phone when I did, or we wouldn’t be talking right now.” 

“Mhm” he sounded amused and she pressed her phone closer to her ear as though it would bring him closer. “I miss you too.”

“Really? I thought you wouldn’t have time to miss me, with all the schmoozing you’ve been doing, all those pretty girls to catch your eye.”

“I could  _ never! _ ” Adrien sounded scandalised “my lady, you  _ know  _ you’re the only one for me. I can’t wait to come home and spend time with my gorgeous  _ superhero _ girlfriend.”

“Good answer,” she giggled. 

They talked for over an hour, about anything and everything, Marinette catching him up on all that he had missed, and it wasn’t until she began to stifle her yawns that she felt the first stirrings of panic. 

Before he’d left, Marinette had written Adrien a letter, pouring her heart out and telling him what she wasn’t brave enough to say in person yet. He’d been in London for three days now, but he hadn’t said anything, had given no indication at all that he’d even read it. She  _ had  _ to know what he thought, she—

“Did you get my letter?” Marinette blurted out, startling herself. For a moment there was silence on the other end and Marinette gnawed on her bottom lip, her stomach roiling with anxiety until she heard the rustling of paper and Adrien spoke again.

“The one you got Tikki to smuggle into my suitcase?”

“How—” 

“Plagg told me” 

“That  _ traitor!” _

Adrien let out a surprised bark of laughter “he says next time, you should bribe him with cheese to keep his mouth shut. The letter was sweet though.” He paused, “I’m glad you gave me the right one this time.”

Marinette groaned “you’re never going to let me live that down are you?”

So he was joking about the letter. Marinette could work with that. That meant he didn’t want to break up, right? Otherwise why would he have still called her? Unless he was just waiting to do it in person. Adrien was sweet like that, she supposed, but she’d prefer it if he just did it  _ now _ , so that she knew to avoid him when he came back and—

“I can hear you catastrophizing from here you know.” Adrien interrupted her thoughts and she sniffed.

“Yeah?” Cursing her voice for sounding so tiny,Marinette rolled over in bed to look at her pinboard, reaching out to trace the photos she’d stuck there. Gone were the magazine cut outs and  _ Gabriel  _ ad posters; now the board was plastered with  _ proper _ photos—selfies with their class, pictures from double dates and their own solo ones. Marinette liked it much better. 

“And there’s nothing to worry about because...I feel the same way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out pretty dialogue heavy, which I think is my weak spot, writing wise. I kinda like it thought. (God, girl gets BA in creative writing and literature, is still terrible at dialogue. It's tragic.)
> 
> On another note, I'm finally implementing a system where I choose the next weeks prompts in advance instead of just sitting down, taking ages to choose which one to do + pairing and then winging it. Fingers crossed it actually works out!


	8. It's two sugars, right? (Marichat)

Maybe coming up onto the roof had been a bad idea. 

The street below her was quiet so late at night, a silence disturbed every so often by rowdy groups of people making their way home after a night out. Marinette shivered, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders as a stray breeze blew her hair around her face. 

Warming her hands on the hot water bottle on her lap, she leaned forward, looking down at the homework that was spread out across the small table.

This week's akuma’s had been particularly brutal and this was the only time she got to sit down and actually  _ do  _ her homework, but now that she had the time, the words seemed to blur on the page and she sighed. 

Letting her head drop to the table, she closed her eyes. If she just rested for five minutes...five minutes to give her eyes a break and then she’d feel a little more refreshed and able to focus. 

_ Keep telling yourself that _ , Marinette ignored the voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Tikki and instead shifted to be more comfortable. 

Five more minutes. That was all.

* * *

It was  _ fifty  _ five minutes later that Marinette woke up. She might have slept all night on her balcony if it wasn’t for the loud  _ thump _ that startled her awake. 

“Huh-wha-” she jerked up, looking around wildly until her eyes landed on Chat Noir, sitting across from her. 

“It’s two sugars right?” 

“Hm?” Marinette blinked, wondering what kind of dream she was having. It  _ seemed  _ real enough, with Chat standing out against the fairy lights strung up on the railing behind him, and...oh, he was talking again.

“—black coffee, two sugars?” He repeated, pulling out some sugar packets and shaking them. 

“Oh, yeah” she stifled a yawn, sitting up straighter and pulling her blanket back up around her shoulders. “Sorry, I’m totally out of it right now. What are you doing?”

Chat Noir shrugged. “Consider this...repayment for the hot chocolate the other day—”

“—you didn’t have to—”

“I  _ wanted  _ to, and no offence but you kinda looked like you needed the coffee. And the pastry” he nodded towards the paper bag he’d set on the table. 

Pastry.

Marinette stared at him. “You know I live in a bakery right?” she deadpanned, snickering when the tips of his ears tinged pink, his mouth opening and closing silently. In an effort to avoid her gaze, he turned his attention to the coffee, stirring the sugar in vigorously and shoving it into her hands. 

“Okay yeah, you live in a bakery, but..how do you know I  _ didn’t _ get it from here? Hm?” Chat sat back triumphantly, fixing her with a smug grin. Marinette didn’t even look at the paper bag before responding.

“Because it doesn’t have our logo on it.” 

He stared at her for a long minute before slumping in his chair. “Yeah, you got me,” he said glumly “I got them from somewhere else, it was a bit stupid of me.” 

“A bit?” 

Chat glared at her “no need to rub it in.”

“No, I think it was sweet!” Marinette took a sip of her coffee, savouring the taste “and so is this— how did you know I take two sugars anyway?” 

“I’m glad you asked!” Chat grinned, looking anything but. At her raised eyebrow, he continued. “Well we’ve already established that you live in a bakery, so I figured you were likely to have a sweet tooth,  _ but _ having so many delicious pastries available to you at all times, I didn’t think you’d want your coffee to  _ also  _ be very sweet. So I decided you’d most likely take two sugars, and I was  _ right, _ so…” he blew a raspberry at her. 

Marinette blinked. 

Either that had been an impressive amount of bullshitting on the fly, or Chat really had put that much thought into her coffee order. She didn’t know which one she’d rather believe. “Alright, Sherlock Holmes” she laughed at his affronted expression, picking up the bag and pulling out the large éclair, holding it up as a peace offering.

“You wanna split this?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...He was _absolutely _bullshitting at the end there. Chat couldn't exactly say ''I have a crush on you and memorised how you take your coffee every time we hang out with the others" now, could he?__
> 
> It's been an hour and I'm STILL laughing at a stupid typo I made when I was writing this. He stirred the coffee vogoroulsy indeed.


	9. Go back to sleep (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, idk why, but when I saw this prompt my first thought was 'this sounds really creepy'

As a child, Adrien had always loved crawling into his parents bed at night so that this mother would put him to sleep, stroking his hair and humming sweet lullabies that one day he hoped to sing to his own children. 

That had been Before. Before father forbade him from coming into their room uninvited, before mother took ill, before she disappeared and father retreated even further into himself. 

As the years passed, he held those memories close, cherishing the warmth of mothers hand, the cool press of her lips on his forehead, the certainty that he was  _ loved _ filling him with a deep contentment that he would come to miss in the years that followed. 

He wouldn’t find anything like it again until he met Ladybug.

* * *

Adrien was _tired._

Father had him on a tight schedule for the autumn campaign, filled with fittings and photoshoots and even a new fragrance ad. He hadn’t seen fit to include study breaks for Adrien and so he’d tried to get as much exam prep done as possible in whichever small breaks he was afforded, as well as the car journeys to each different location. 

All of this put together, meant that naturally, Adrien was ready to collapse the minute he got home and closed his bedroom door behind him. 

Unfortunately, when one is in desperate need of sleep, they find that it evades them, and Adrien found that he was no exception to the rule. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, he finally got up with a groan.

“Plagg?” 

Plagg, who had been having much better success at falling asleep, whined. 

“Plagg, come on” Adrien said “I need this.” 

It took much cajoling, and threats of withholding cheese before Plagg finally emerged, and it was with great relief that Adrien transformed. 

It was a bad habit, he knew, but he didn’t indulge in it often, and it certainly did the trick. Perhaps it was a tendency passed onto him from wielding the black cat miraculous, but Adrien had found that he enjoyed transforming and sleeping on small, out of the way rooftops from time to time.

* * *

He didn’t stir until hours later, when the sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky was bathed in a soft orange glow. Shifting slightly, Chat startled as fingers scratched at his cat ears, digging into his hair and carding through the strands. 

At his movement, they paused for a moment before resuming their ministrations. 

“Why didn’t you tell me how exhausted you’ve been?” Ladybug sounded upset “I could have done solo patrols this week.” 

“And deprive me of your company?” He rolled over to meet her eyes, “now why would I want that?” his voice was thick with sleep, his eyes still heavy, but he grinned up at her when she scoffed. 

“My company isn’t better than  _ proper rest _ , Chaton.” 

“No, but it does wonders.”

“I’m sure” Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Well how about a compromise?” looking around the roof, she smiled as her eyes alighted on the chimney. “Come on-”

Making her way to the chimney, she settled against it with her legs crossed. Patting her lap, she beckoned him over. “Here, lie down.” 

“Wh-are you sure?” Chat stared at her wide eyed. 

“I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. ”

“You don’t have to-I’ve had enough rest no—” his words were cut off by a large yawn and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I guess not.”

“Exactly. Now come on” Ladybug waved imperiously, and he found he could not think of any other reason to protest. 

Lying down, Chat settled his head in her lap, stifling a yawn as his eyes slipped shut.

“There, see, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Ladybug sounded smug, but she lowered her voice, pushing the hair off his forehead and running her fingers through it again. “Go back to sleep now, Chaton.”

And if she kissed his forehead after she said it, well, Chat was sure that was just his imagination. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if i like this but its sweet


	10. I'll help you study (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I found out I have to self isolate for ten days and was ✨stressed✨ stay safe guys!

One week. 

That was what they’d agreed on. One week to process everything, to process each other's identities so that they’d get used to the idea of  _ who _ exactly was behind their partner’s mask. 

Marinette had gone straight home and screamed into her pillow, ecstatic that the boy she’d begun to develop feelings for was the same boy she’d harboured a flame for all these years. She’d spent the week daydreaming about the two of them together, planning a picnic to take with her on their designated meeting day. 

What she hadn’t accounted for, was Adrien not feeling the same way. 

She’d waited all night, sitting silently, hardly daring to breathe, to even  _ move _ , in case she missed the sound of his arrival. She’d watched as the picnic grew cold, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them, her eyes burning from the effort of forcing back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. 

And still, he didn’t come. 

When the first rays of sunlight began peeking over the horizon, Marinette packed up her things, and went home. 

Alright then. Message received, loud and clear. 

* * *

Which bought her to now. 

Marinette let her head drop to her desk with a dull  _ thunk.  _

“Long night?” Alya asked sympathetically and she groaned. 

“More like a long  _ week. _ ” she muttered, acutely aware of Adrien sitting in the desk in front of her. Marinette had underestimated how difficult it would be to avoid him. She couldn’t be obvious about it or Alya would have noticed, and  _ then  _ what would she say? 

Instead, she simply turned and walked away whenever she saw him approaching, ducking into empty classrooms or the bathroom until he’d passed. She took rain checks on any group activities, citing commissions and the need to study, and so far she’d been successful at avoiding him, but it had only been a week of this and Marinette was  _ exhausted.  _

It didn't help that Adrien seemed determined to try and talk to her, and she didn’t know  _ how  _ she’d be able to continue her avoidance techniques long term.  __

But she couldn’t tell Alya that. “I’ve just been trying to catch up on everything but that physics homework has been kicking my ass.”

“Oh that’s right!” Alya exclaimed. “Adrien helped us all with that homework but you couldn’t make it—hey sunshine!” she snapped her fingers to get Adrien’s attention, oblivous to Marinette watched in mounting horror. “You have a free period after lunch right?” 

“Uh,” Adrien exchanged a bewildered look with Nino, who just shrugged. “Yeah, I’m free. Why?”

“Marinette needs some help with that homework—you know the one” Adrien's eyes shot up to his hairline, and Marinette cringed, hoping he’d decline kindly, say he was busy, but instead his face relaxed into an easy smile, and his eyes met hers. 

“Sure thing, Marinette, I’ll help you study!”

* * *

“Is this seat taken?” Adrien’s voice startled her and her pen slid across the page, thankfully missing what she’d already written. “Oh shit, I’m sorry—”

“No, it’s nothing—” she interrupted him, clearing her things off the table so that he could sit beside her. “You didn’t have to come, you know. I get it.”

“Do you?” Adrien dragged her open textbook across the table to look at it. “It’s this part you’re stuck on right?” His finger stabbed a paragraph in the middle of the page and she blinked, looking down at where he pointed. 

“Yeah, that’s the one. Listen, um—” she leaned forward, trying to meet his eyes. “Adrien, seriously you don’t need to do this.” She didn’t need to hear him give reasons for his rejection. She didn’t think she could take it. 

“Actually, I wanted to come,” he interjected, looking up at last, meeting her gaze with a frightening intensity. “This problem is really easy to get the wrong answer to if you don’t have the right explanation”

Marinette blinked, telling her traitorous heart-which had begun to flutter in her chest- not to get it’s hopes up as she registered the double meaning behind Adriens words. 

“It’s a fairly simple explanation, all things considered,” Adrien continued, pulling her notebook out from under her fingertips and scribbling the equations on the page. “So it won’t take long to finish, I don’t think.” He flashed her a grin, “you’re pretty smart after all. How about we go and get milkshakes after we’re done?” 

Dazed, Marinette could only nod. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette at the beginning: Adrien has clearly rejected me so I must avoid him at all costs, even though he seems weirdly determined to talk to me
> 
> Marinette at the end: *surprised pikachu face*
> 
> Anyway, I couldn't think of a reason why he didn't show so you can make one up. But he didn't call/text her because he figured it would be better to have that conversation in person and also thought he should give her some space lol


	11. Call me when you get home (Marichat)

“Of all the days—” Marinette muttered to herself as she ran, ducking and weaving to escape the flying debris. It looked like another construction worker this time, or maybe a janitor, she amended watching a giant mop fly over her head like a javelin. Now if she could only get close enough to transform and join the fight—

“Marinette!” she skidded to a stop, staring in disbelief at Chat Noir who had dropped down in front of her. “What are you _doing?”_

“Uh…”

“The akuma is in that direction, you need to—” He swore under his breath as the ground rumbled beneath them. Before she could react, Chat had scooped her up in his arms and used his baton to vault them onto a roof and across into the next street. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days, princess,” he said. “What the hell were you doing running _towards_ the akuma?” 

_I was_ trying _to do my job!_ Marinette almost screamed, but she bit back her frustration, clinging tightly to Chat’s shoulders. “looking for Aly-aaaaaaah!” she shrieked, holding on for dear life when a loud boom sounded in the distance, sending shockwaves through the ground that made Chat wobble on his baton. 

Once they were back on solid ground, Marinette saw the indecision warring across Chat’s features as he looked between her and the direction of the akuma, and took her chance. Scrambling out his arms, she took a few steps back as well, for good measure. 

“Go!” She urged him, “I can make my own way home from here, but you need to go _fight!”_

Chat’s lips pressed into a thin line, appraising her for a long moment before nodding shortly. “Call me when you get home” he said, his green eyes blazing with intensity, and then, before she could ask _how_ exactly she was supposed to do that, he was gone.

* * *

She hadn’t called. 

Adrien paced his room, phone clutched tightly in his hand, willing it to ring, for Marinette’s name to flash across the screen.

“ _Why_ hasn’t she called, Plagg?” 

Plagg yawned from his perch on Adrien’s pillow, shoving a wedge of camembert into his open mouth. Swallowing it in one gulp, he waved a paw lazily. “Relax, kid, I’m sure pigtails is _fine_ ” 

“You don’t know that!” 

“Well why the hell did you ask my opinion then?” Plagg groused, but Adrien ignored him. 

What if she’d been hurt? What if she hadn’t made it home safely, had gotten lost on her way because he dropped her too far from the bakery, and was now wandering the streets in the dark trying to find her way? 

He’d texted Alya and Nino an hour ago, asking if they’d seen Marinette but both had reported last seeing her after school let out, right before the akuma attack, and they hadn’t seen her since. 

“I need to check,” Adrien decided. He wouldn’t be able to rest easy, otherwise. “Plagg? Claws out!”

* * *

Marinette had mostly forgotten her strange encounter with Chat Noir by evening. 

That is, she’d forgotten until a loud _thump_ sounded on her balcony that evening, followed by a large crash and the sound of something shattering and loud expletives. 

Exchanging an exasperated look with Tikki, she climbed up to open the trapdoor, sticking her head out and fixing Chat with an unimpressed stare. “Really, Chat?”

“Marinette!” Chat abandoned his shoddy attempt at tidying up the mess he’d made and bounded over to her, a relieved smile breaking out across his face“You’re alright!” 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” It really was hard to stay annoyed at him when he looked at her like _that_ , but Marinette tried her best. Forcing down the urge to smile, she climbed up onto the roof, grabbing the dustpan and brush she kept by the wall and began to sweep up the broken shards of her plant pot and the soil that had spilled across the roof. “I expect full compensation for this by the way.”

“R-right, yeah of course-” Chat’s eyes tracked her movements, watching her intently before he shook his head quickly. “Hey-don’t change the subject! Why didn’t you call me when you got home?” He pointed a finger accusingly at her “I was worried sick!”

“Um,” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Maybe because I don’t have your number?” 

“Yes you do! I-oh _shit_ ” Chat clapped a hand over his mouth, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like _wrong identity_.

“Forget I said that.” 

Marinette shrugged, making the conscious decision not to freak out about Chat’s behaviour until she could talk to Tikki about it later. “Okay. Well, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. It was sweet of you to worry though,” she brought a hand to her chest and smiled, noting with interest, the way his cheeks coloured at the compliment. “I’m touched.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so apparently I like writing Chat with one braincell. Relatable content tbh


	12. There's enough space for both of us (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw man, it is SO much easier to do these when I've planned the prompts in advance. The next few are gonna be so much fun ya'll.  
> Also, seriously all your comments are SO SWEET and they motivate me to keep going (that, and my sheer determination to do all 100. This is where being a perfectionist brings you down) so thank you, you're all absolutely amazing!! 💖

“You don’t mind, do you Marinette?” Lila’s voice was cloying, dripping with faux sympathy, her eyes widened to emphasise how distressed she was at having to turn Marinette away. 

Lila had organised a day trip for the whole class after their final exams-and this time, she’d actually managed to come through with her promise. Of course, Lila had  _ conveniently  _ forgotten to write Marinette’s name down on the list when booking the travel arrangements and now they had a minibus that was exactly one seat short, forcing Lila to give Marinette the bad news. 

Clenching her fists by her sides, Marinette took a few deep breaths before smiling, and shaking her head. “No, of course not Lila, it wouldn’t be fair to ask any of the others to give up a seat just for me.” 

“I’m  _ so glad _ you understand, Marinette! I’ll definitely make sure you get to go on the next trip though!” Lila promised, but her self satisfied smirk said otherwise. 

Well, it was no skin off her nose, anyway. After all, theme parks weren’t going anywhere, but- “Hey Lila, would you mind giving me a refund though? Since I  _ did  _ give you money for my seat and I’m not going so…” Maybe she’d treat herself to a nice cafe breakfast with the money instead.

“Oh! Um…” Lila dithered, twirling her hair around her finger and looking at something over Marinette’s shoulder. “I can't give it to you  _ right this minute _ , but I promise I will on Monday, alright?” 

Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” She turned to go, ignoring Lila’s cheery  _ see you next week! _ and walked straight into Adrien, who had come up behind her without her noticing. 

“Woah, easy there,” he grabbed hold of her forearms to steady her. “What’s going on? Aren’t you coming with us?” Marinette only shook her head, willing him to let the subject drop, but instead he turned her around, his warm hand coming to rest on the small of her back. Lila’s eyes narrowed as she followed the movement, but she simpered, looking pleased with herself when Adrien looked at her, his eyebrow raised. 

“There isn’t enough space in the minibus for Marinette, so she was just leaving. Right?” She spoke the last word through gritted teeth. 

Adrien frowned. “Why isn’t there?”

“Adrien, c’mon,” Marinette muttered, tugging at his sleeve. “It’s no big deal.” 

“Of course it’s a big deal!” he exclaimed. “This is a  _ class  _ trip, we have to take everyone. Come on, let me have a look.” Ignoring Lila’s protests, he pulled her behind him, stopping just inside the bus. Only two seats remained empty, all the way at the back. Adrien turned to speak to Lila, who had scrambled up after them, looking flustered, and he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the seats. “I’m guessing one of those is mine?”

“Yep!” Lila chirped, smiling brightly. 

“Great!” All the chatter on the bus had died down as their classmates took in the trio, watching to see what was going on. Adrien tugged on her hand, making her follow as he made his way to the seat. “These are pretty good seats,” he hummed to himself, sitting down, and examining the space. “Decent legroom, and…” he pulled at her waist, causing her to stumble and land in his lap, the breath escaping her with a surprised gasp. “Just enough space for Marinette!” Adrien grinned over at Lila, who looked like she’d swallowed an entire lemon whole. 

“Are you  _ sure  _ that will be comfortable though, Adrien?” Marinette settled more comfortably in his lap as his arms came to wrap around her waist. Shooting her a wink- that  _ didn’t  _ go unnoticed by Lila-he nodded emphatically. “Of course I’m sure! Why wouldn’t I want my girlfriend to sit in my lap?” Whispers erupted all through the bus at this new information, and if possible, Lila’s face soured even more. “There’s enough room for both of us, it’s actually pretty comfy here.” 

“Fine!” Lila clapped her hands, her smile forced. “That’s great, we all get to go on the trip, guys!” She turned around “hey guys, I just remembered I get really car sick on buses, so can someone up at the front swap seats with me?” 

Adrien snickered, pressing his face into the crook of Marinette’s shoulder. Once Lila was out of earshot, she twisted around to face him. “Well played, Agreste.” 

“Yeah?” his green eyes glittered mischievously “I thought so too.” His brow furrowed for a moment, and he bought a hand up to cup her cheek. “You’re not mad that I outed us right?” he stroked her skin with his thumb “I know you wanted to keep things secret for a while, but…” 

“Adrien,” she interrupted him, darting forward to peck his lips. When she drew back, his expression was dazed, and she giggled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and snuggling into him. “I don’t mind,  _ at all. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this one was fun but it also reminded me of the time in year 10 when my history class went on a trip to Belgium and we all sat in pairs on the bus but my closest friend in our group got sick and couldn't make it so that trip ended up being really depressing even though we went on the Eurostar. It was a 2 storey bus and when there was some space on the ground floor all my friends went down there and had a great time but there hadn't been a seat for me so I had to stay upstairs on my own with only the rowdy/popular kids for company which was absolute torture for chronically shy 15 year old me lmao


	13. It looks good on you (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was heavily inspired by all the art Rosekasa does on tumblr of [Marinette in Adrien's shirt](https://rosekasa.tumblr.com/post/629347805595582464/i-love-her-bonus). That stuff is [ freakin adorable](https://rosekasa.tumblr.com/post/638873867984764928/marinette-in-adriens-shirt)

“I’m so proud of you, Marinette.” Alya wiped away a fake tear from her eye, laughing when Marinette turned to give her best friend a withering stare. “Oh come on!” she threw popcorn at her “it’s a rite of passage to steal your boyfriends shirts! I still have the hoodie I took from Nino when we first started going out.” 

“Yeah? How long did it take him to notice?” 

“He  _ still hasn’t _ ” Alya said smugly “it’s hilarious. Anyway that shirt suits you. You  _ have  _ to keep it.”

Marinette tugged at the hem dubiously, looking back at herself in the mirror. “Really? I mean, it is pretty comfy.” It was actually her new favourite shirt to sleep in, but nobody needed to know  _ that. _

Alya waggled her eyebrows suggestively “I’ll bet.”

“ _ Alya-!” _ Marinette shrieked “you’re  _ insufferable _ , you know that right?” 

Before she could respond, she heard maman call up to her “Marinette- Adrien’s here, he came to pick something up!”

_ Shit _ . 

“Oh my god I need to get changed-” Marinette hissed, looking around frantically for a shirt she might have left out, and cursing herself for tidying up the night before. 

At that moment, the trapdoor opened and Marinette froze as Adrien climbed up into her room. “H-hi, Adrien!” she waved, holding one arm across her chest to conceal what she was wearing. 

“Hey Marinette,” he kissed her sweetly, and then went past her to her desk. “I won’t interrupt your girls night, I just left a couple of my textbooks here yesterday.”

“You left something else too” Alya muttered under her breath and Marinette shot her a glare behind Adriens back, making a slashing motion across her throat.

“What was that?” 

“Nothing!” She squeaked, stumbling when Adrien turned around, books in hand before she could step back “Oh-” 

“Careful,” he laughed, steadying her “wait, is that…is that my shirt?” 

“Um..” Marinette glanced helplessly across at Alya who only sent her a shit eating grin and held up her phone. 

Turning back to Adrien, she did a half twirl, cheeks burning. “Yeah, it is your shirt,”

The tips of Adriens own ears had tinged pink as he looked at her, his eyes raking over her body, drinking in the sight of her in his black t-shirt, and Marinette flushed harder. He didn’t move, seeming frozen in place until Alya decided to throw a pillow at him.

Blinking rapidly, Adrien let go of her “it uh,” he coughed self consciously, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. “It looks good on you.” He didn’t wait for her to reply, practically running out of her room. 

The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity until they heard the front door slam, and then the two of them burst into uncontrollable giggles, doubling over with laughter. 

“ _ His face!”  _ Alya gasped “I am  _ so glad _ I recorded that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's brain fully short circuited here. Total blue screen 404 error type shit


	14. I need you (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double update because I missed yesterday oops  
> This one is for the wonderful [chatnoiristhebest5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatnoiristhebest5) who requested this prompt a while back, and is just a really amazing person all round. This got away from me and is actually the longest chapter so far! I'm not sure if this is _exactly _what you requested but I hope you enjoy it!__

Chat Noir groaned, leveraging himself up into a sitting position against the wall he'd been thrown into. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard Ladybug’s triumphant cry “Miraculous ladybug!”

Through cracked eyelids, he watched as the pink light of the miraculous cure washed over the city, the healing ladybugs healing his bruises, knitting the ribs he was pretty sure he’d fractured earlier back together. 

Standing, he grinned across at Ladybug, but she didn’t return his smile. Instead she gave him a cursory once over, an unreadable emotion swimming in the depths of her blue eyes as they lingered in the places that he’d been injured, making sure that he was well. Chat gave her a thumbs up, but she stiffened at the gesture and turned away, throwing her yo-yo and swinging up onto the rooftops. 

Before he could follow, the reporters who had been waiting on the fringes of the fight descended upon the scene, blocking his path and asking him questions, requesting soundbites for whatever channel they worked for. By the time he’d answered most of their questions and made his way up onto the roof, Ladybug was long gone.

* * *

Ladybug ignored him on their next patrol. And the next, though Chat had no idea why. She’d wait for him, her back turned away from him, pausing only long enough to tersely tell him which areas to patrol, and then taking off without waiting for a response. 

He’d tried brainstorming ideas with Plagg about what he could have done wrong, but his kwami had proved to be utterly useless. So instead, Chat simply did nothing, hoping that soon, she’d find a reason to talk to him again.

* * *

It was on the third week that he got some inkling of what he might have done wrong. Sitting at his desk, he was going over his notes from the last lesson when Alya and Marinette entered the classroom, the former gesticulating wildly as she spoke. “-she’s _totally_ giving him the cold shoulder!”

“Mhm,” Marinette sounded disinterested, but Alya didn’t seem to notice, speaking over her friend. 

“Seriously, I haven’t seen those two goofing off on patrol in _weeks_ . Something’s up, and _I_ am gonna get the scoop!” Alya nudged Marinette as they sat down “what’s _your_ theory?” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Marinette hummed. “She’s probably trying to get him to stop making those god awful puns.”

Alya snorted. “Good one. But seriously, _c’mon,_ gimme your best theory.” 

“I guess...” Marinette murmured “I guess...maybe she’s mad he keeps putting himself in danger. Did you see that last akuma battle?”

“Yeah,” Alya sighed, “that was a big one. I couldn’t even get close enough to record my own footage; it was so bad.” 

“Exactly. Maybe Ladybug is just upset about it.”

Adrien turned around in his seat, resting his forearms on Marinette’s desk. “Yeah, but Chat Noir is _supposed_ to protect Ladybug, that’s his whole thing.” 

“No it’s not!” Marinette scowled. “It’s an equal partnership. How many times has she said that herself?” She fixed him with a fierce glare and Adrien noted with surprise that she wasn't stumbling over her words to him. At that moment, their teacher came in, and their discussion was cut short, but as he settled back in his seat, he heard Alya hiss across at Marinette “what was _that?”_

* * *

“Jeez, Hawkmoth may have slowed down with how many akuma’s he sends out but these last few have been some real bastards.” Chat whistled lowly as they followed the trail of destruction the akuma calling himself The Cannon had left in its wake. 

“Focus, Chat Noir!” Ladybug called tersely and he almost tripped over his own feet, staring at her in disbelief. 

“So you’ve finally decided to talk to me, huh?”

“Now is _not_ the time-” her eyes widened “watch out!” Chat ducked, just as a large cannonball sailed past where his head had been only seconds before. 

“Huh,” he stared at where it had landed in the car park below them, flattening two cars like it was nothing. “Somehow that looks less deadly in Tom & Jerry. That could have been _nasty-”_ he turned to see Ladybug’s reaction, but she was already far in the distance. “Of course,” Chat sighed. “Who has time for jokes anyway?” 

By the time he caught up to Ladybug, she was on the ground, circling around warily and spinning her yo-yo in anticipation for attack. Chat frowned. From the craters that had been left in the roads, The Cannon couldn’t have gotten far, and yet the trail just _stopped_ , giving no indication as to where he’d gone.

Something glinted in the corner of his eye on the rooftop beside him and it took Chat a second to register what it was. Or rather, _who._

The akuma stared down at Ladybug on the street, a manic grin on his face as he raised his arms, preparing to jump down and flatten her on impact.

So Chat did the only thing he could.

Just as The Cannon threw himself off the roof, Chat leapt sideways from his perch onto his back, wrapping his arms tightly around the akumas neck, clinging on like a monkey and throwing him off course. The Cannon roared, thrashing around to try and get him off, but Chat held on tight, keeping an eye out for Ladybug who had wisely gotten out of the way unharmed. 

Chat couldn’t say the same for himself. 

As The Cannon flailed, he finally threw out his arms, sending Chat flying backwards to slam- _hard-_ against a lamp post. Ladybug watched the two of them with wide eyes, her head swivelling back and forth between the two of them, indecision warring over her features, unable to decide if she should run to him, or engage The Cannon in attack. 

Remembering what he’d seen when he’d leapt onto the akuma’s back, Chat tried to sit up. Grabbing his abdomen, he gritted his teeth and yelled. “It’s on his wrist! The watch!” 

He must have blacked out for a few minutes, because the next thing he knew, the road was smooth again and he could stand up straight without pain shooting through his body. 

And Ladybug had taken off again. But this time, Chat didn’t wait, using his baton to vault after her. She hadn’t gotten far, so it didn’t take long to catch up to her. “Oh, so you’re just gonna go back to ignoring me, huh? What, you used up your ‘talk to Chat’ quota for the next three weeks?”

Ladybug didn’t stop, or even acknowledge his presence beside her and he faltered, “What the _hell_ is your problem?” he shouted, a white hot burst of anger erupting in his chest, and blazing through his veins. It was as though all the loneliness and confusion, and _sadness_ he’d felt over the last weeks had gone up in flames, leaving behind nothing but the bitter taste of ash on his tongue. 

He would not leave without an answer. Not today.

“ _My_ problem?” Ladybug whirled around, a warning in her eyes “don’t even _go_ there.” 

“Why shouldn’t I?” he threw his hands up in the air “why _shouldn’t_ I try to find out why you won’t talk to me anymore? Why you’re avoiding me.” 

“Because _I need you!”_ she shrieked, her voice echoing around them, freezing Chat in place. “With your stupid puns, and jokes, and, and...I need you” she repeated softly. “And everytime you do something reckless or stupid during a fight, I get so scared that that will be the day I can’t save you, or bring you back, and you-” she stepped forward, jabbing her finger into his chest “you _keep doing it!”_

Chat opened his mouth to speak, to reassure her, but Ladybug shook her head sadly, tears glistening in her eyes. “I don’t need that much protection, Chaton. Not when you risk yourself to give it.” 

He didn’t stop her when she left, staring after her in a daze, her words ringing in his ears over and over, and over again.

* * *

Chat arrived early to their next patrol, pacing back and forth as he waited for the telltale _thud_ of her arrival. Turning to face her, he said: “we _have_ to talk about this.”

For a long moment, she didn’t move, and he was worried she might shake her head, tell him to stop wasting time and start patrol, but instead she exhaled shakily, her shoulders drooping, and nodded. 

They sat together in silence, legs dangling over the edge of the roof, until Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder, tugging at his arm until he put it around her. “Do you remember,” she began haltingly, “do you remember that year when we first started out, and I jumped into that T-rex’s mouth without telling you my plan?” 

Even with her in his arms, safe and well, Chat’s heart seized at the memory, remembering the overpowering wave of terror and grief that had washed over him, paralysing him even as he felt the ground crumble beneath him. Instinctively, he tightened his arm around Ladybugs shoulders and she laughed weakly. “Yeah, that’s how...that’s how I feel, everytime you-”

“Everytime I put myself in danger for you.” Chat finished her sentence “oh god, _my lady_ , I had no idea.”

“It’s okay,” she said, voice small “it’s not like I told you or anything.” Moving out from under his arm, she turned to face him, sitting on her knees. “I meant what I said before though. “I _need you_ . We have the other temporary holders, but you’re my _partner_ , and I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you.” She sniffed “I don’t ever want to find out either.” 

“And you won’t have to,” Chat said, “because I’m not going anywhere.” He cupped her cheek “I’ll be more careful from now on, alright?” 

Ladybug smiled tremblingly up at him, the relief evident in her large eyes and she leaned into his touch, her eyes slipping shut. “Promise?”

Chat pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a long moment. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I texted my friend while writing this one and sending her scenes: 'Chat Noir really out here fulfilling his dream to become Bella Swan: Spidermonkey'


	15. Come here, let me fix it (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to have a thing for Chat braiding Marinette's hair. Though this scene is much less intimate than the one in Phantoms lmao

“-So keep hold of the three strands, and take a little  _ more  _ from this side and add it-Tikki did I take enough?” Marinette held her hair above her head, trying to see if she’d done it right, eyes following her kwami as she zipped around to inspect her work. 

Before Tikki could answer either way, there was a sharp rap on her skylight window and Marinette sighed. “Give me a second!” she called out, her hands still gripping her hair. “The video said it was supposed to be  _ quick _ ” she muttered crossly to herself, trying to ignore the ache in her arms from their raised position. “Oh-forget it-” letting go of her hair, she climbed up to open the window for Chat. “Hurry up and get inside-it’s  _ freezing.” _

“Hey...what are you doing?” he took in the mess her room was in; the array of combs, hair ties and bobby pins that were scattered all over her desk and Marinette groaned in frustration. 

She’d started growing her hair out at the start of the year, and now it was long enough to do something other than her signature pigtails. Unfortunately, Marinette had quickly realised she didn’t know how to do any other styles. 

“I didn’t have anything else to do, so I figured I’d try to practise new stuff with my hair.” She told Chat and he tutted sympathetically. 

“I take it, it's not going well.”

“Ugh, you have no idea.” She flopped down in her chair and began again, “they call it a French braid,  _ I’m  _ French, why can’t I  _ do _ it? Do you know how many times I’ve started again?” 

Chat snickered, watching her efforts before sighing exaggeratedly and coming to stand behind her. “Come here, let me fix it for you.”

“ _ You  _ can do hair _?” _ she turned around in disbelief.

“Wh-of  _ course, _ ” he gasped in fake outrage, “I’m not just a pretty face you know. I’m a man of many talents” 

“Alright,” Marinette shrugged “give it your best shot.” Her arms would be grateful for the reprieve, at least.

Chat’s claws raked gently through her hair, splitting it into sections, and she hummed contentedly, closing her eyes and leaning into the touch. “How did you learn to do hair anyway?” 

“When we were kids, my friend always wanted us to play hairdressers. Guess who was always stuck being the stylist?” 

“No- _ really _ ?”

“Mhmm, and she’d make me do it again if it wasn’t perfect.”

Marinette giggled at the image of a disgruntled young Chat Noir who’d rather run around and play, forced to sit down and do someone’s hair. “And now look at you, you’re a real expert.”

“Yep,” he said, sounding smug, fingers brushing the back of her neck as he braided, making her shiver. “here, pass me that hair tie-aaand, we’re done! Have a look.”

“Huh.” Marinette inspected herself in the mirror “I should be annoyed that you’re so much better at this than me, but it’s actually really cute.”

“High praise indeed!”

“Maybe I’ll promote you from stray cat to hair stylist.” she fiddled with the end of her braid, looking at him over her shoulder and meeting his eyes. “I’m probably gonna need one.”

Chat smiled “It would be my honour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! I first taught myself to do a french braid when I was in Pakistan for my cousins wedding. It was summer, it was hot, everyone went to sleep at like, 10 but I still hadn't adjusted to the time difference and would be wide awake since it was 5pm back home. So there I was, lying on the roof on my charpai, inside the machardani, absolutely bORED OUT OF MY SKULL. So I looked up french braids and tried to do it while lying on my stomach in the dark with no tools. It actually turned out alright, all things considered. I'm not very good at them still, but my hairs too short for any type of braid anyway.
> 
> Wow, you guys are learning ALOT of random facts about me lmao


	16. You're warm (Adrinette)

To Adrien’s everlasting delight, Marinette was a cuddler. Whether they were hanging out in one of their rooms watching a movie, or taking a walk in the park-even just studying in the library together, she’d lean against his side, twining their fingers together underneath the table. 

Alya and Nino teased them about it all the time, but Adrien didn’t mind. He actually thought it was cute.

So he was not surprised, when on a dreary Monday morning, Marinette trudged into the library during their free period, coffee in hand, and flopped down into the seat beside him, folding her legs up beneath her and leaning on his shoulder. In fact, it was such a common occurrence that he’d barely paused his conversation with Nino to put his arm around her, letting her nuzzle closer to him and go back to sleep. 

But free periods only lasted so long, and soon enough, the hour was over, and Marinette was still sound asleep. This had never been a problem before, since Marinette usually only napped on him for half an hour or less. Adrien could hardly blame her for her tiredness though-the akuma that Hawkmoth had sent out at midnight had been particularly vicious and it had taken the two of them the better part of 4 hours to defeat it. If anyone had earned the sleep, it was Marinette.

“Good luck!” Nino laughed as he packed up his bags “I’ve never seen a person wake Marinette up and escape unscathed. I’m sure she’ll be nicer to _you_ though.” He ignored the unimpressed stare Adrien shot him and left. 

First, Adrien tried to extricate himself, moving carefully, gently prying her fingers from his forearm, but she only clung tighter, refusing to let him move. 

“Marinette,” he whispered, brushing the hair from her face “Marinette,” he repeated a little louder, and she furrowed her brow, snuggling closer to him with a low whine. 

“Wake up, sweetheart,” he stroked her cheek softly, “we’re going to be late for class, if we don’t leave now.”

“Nngh” Marinette groaned, cracking an eye open to peer up at him and Adrien chuckled softly. “But you’re _warm_ ” she whined, her voice thick with sleep “do we have to go?” 

Adrien pressed a kiss to the spot between her brows, “yeah, we do. You know what Mendeleiev is like.”

“Oh all right,” Marinette huffed, pulling herself up “but I’m not happy about it-you are _so warm_ , did you know that?” she yawned loudly, stretching her arms out in front of her. “I could have slept for another three hours, _easy._ ” 

“What am I, your personal heater?” 

Marinette raised an eyebrow “Yeah, wasn’t it obvious?”

“And here I thought you kept me around for my handsome good looks and charm!” Adrien gasped in mock outrage, “you _wound_ me, princess!” 

“Well,” Marinette snickered “those things definitely add to the appeal” she leaned forward, cupping his face in her hands “but I mostly just keep you around for _this._ ” and before he could ask the question he already knew the answer to, she kissed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotta say, I have had some of THE BEST sleeps during my creative writing uni lectures. I mean, come ON, what did they expect when it was a 9am lecture and they turned the lights off to play videos or started reading really long extracts from the handouts?


	17. I bought you a ticket (Ladrien)

Adrien had one ticket left, and he knew exactly who to give it to. 

The first had gone to Marinette of course, and then Alya and Nino, his friends getting front row seats to the fashion show he would be walking in. 

But that still left one, and being Chat Noir, Adrien knew all about how much Ladybug liked fashion and design. 

Now all he had to do was find a way to give it to her.

How hard could it be?

* * *

As it turned out- _ very _ hard. 

He’d been carrying around the last ticket for some time now, hoping to give it to Ladybug as himself. The closest he’d come was on the first day, after an akuma battle where he’d quickly ducked away to detransform and try to meet her. 

Adrien had got as far as a greeting, failing valiantly in his attempt to be nonchalant when the press had descended on them, asking questions and he’d only just managed to slip away. 

Since then, it had been almost impossible to meet her, and Adrien was seriously considering just giving the ticket to her a Chat and saying that he’d been told to pass it on, but he so desperately wanted to give it to her himself. 

He was trudging home after another failed attempt when he heard the telltale whirr of Ladybug’s yo-yo and looked up just in time to see her touch down on the rooftop of the building he was walking by. 

“Ladybug!” Adrien called out without thinking, wincing when she looked over at him and promptly ran into a chimney. “Oh my god, are you alright?”

“Mmf” she groaned, clutching at her face and waving him off. 

“I’m so sorry, I distracted you-”Adrien fretted.  _ Nice one Agreste, _ he thought furiously to himself  _ just go and make the hero of Paris injure herself, real smooth.  _

“Hey-hey no, come on” Ladybug looked down at him “i’m fine, see?” she jumped down to stand in front of him and Adrien felt his shoulders relax when he saw she was flushed, but otherwise uninjured. “I’m just super-uh-super clumsy sometimes. Did you want to say something to me before I totally embarrassed myself in front of you?” if possible, she flushed even darker and muttered something under her breath that sounded like:  _ wouldn’t be the first time _ . 

“Yeah!” Adrien exclaimed, digging in his pocket for the ticket. “Here-” he shoved it into her hands “I bought you a ticket.”

“What for?” Ladybug turned it over in her hands, examining it in bemusement “is this a fashion show?”

“Mhm,” he nodded “I just-I had one ticket left and I couldn’t think who else to give it to so…” he shrugged. 

“Adrien…” she began slowly “this is so sweet, but I can’t-” 

“Oh!” Adrien interrupted quickly “I haven’t told anyone, so uh, you can come as a civilian, and no-one will know.” For Adrien, it would be enough to just know that she was there. “I just wanted you to have it. Please?” 

Ladybug considered it for a long moment, passing the ticket from hand to hand as she thought. Eventually, she sighed, meeting his eyes. “Oh what’s the harm?” she shrugged, smiling warmly at him. “Alright, I’ll come.” She turned to leave, but stopped, seeming to deliberate with herself before she spun around and kissed him quickly on the cheek, freezing him in place.

He barely heard her whispered thanks through the fog in his brain, her sweet perfume lingering, and permeating his senses, all of his focus suddenly narrowing down to that single point of contact, his cheek tingling from the brief touch of her lips to his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not pictured: Ladybug running away muttering 'shitshitshit' because she now has TWO tickets to this show and needs to get rid of one. 
> 
> Also, guys pLEASE watch [this](https://youtu.be/-uVyrskZ34g) because when I wrote the last part of this one, all I coul think about was the part here where Om sort of goes faint after meeting Shanti lmao


	18. Stay there, I'm coming to get you (Ladynoir)

Hindsight was a very funny thing, Marinette thought to herself. 

In hindsight, it had been a bad idea to go for a run after she almost fell over just standing up to transform. In hindsight _,_ she should have stopped when her vision had tunnelled and she’d suddenly felt as though she was running down a steep hill instead of flat rooftops. In _hindsight,_ she should have listened to Tikki, should have climbed into bed, pulled the covers over her head, and stuck on an audiobook. 

Ugh. Tikki was going to be so mad. Marinette rolled over, turning her head to retch again before flopping back down on her back. 

Well. No amount of hindsight was going to help her now. She had to _do_ something. But what? 

Forcing herself to think, Marinette breathed heavily, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes to try and alleviate the throbbing headache that pulsed behind her eyes. 

It took her an embarrassingly long time to realise she could call Chat. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, and the air was beginning to cool-not yet freezing, but just enough for her to feel it’s biting sting on her cheeks. “C’mon, pick up, pick up,” she chanted under her breath “Dammit Chat!” Marinette hung up and tried again. They really needed a better system to keep in touch. 

Chat picked up the third time she called. “Hey LB! What’s up?” 

“Uh...I fell.”

“What?” 

Marinette looked over to the side with a grimace. “I may have thrown up a little too.”

“Ladybug,” his voice was serious now “where are you?” She tried to sit up, to try and look for any identifying landmarks, but the movement made her head spin and she laid back down quickly, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the world from spinning.

“I’m not...I’m not sure.” 

“Okay-okay, um...I’m going to track your location, alright? Stay there, I’m coming to get you.” Marinette didn’t bother hanging up, putting her yo-yo down on her stomach and lying still, trying to keep the bile rising in her throat.

She didn’t know how long she lay there, breathing in and out slowly, but eventually, she heard footsteps and opened her eyes blearily to see Chat standing over her, a pharmacy bag in his hand.

“God, are you alright?” he knelt down beside her, helping her to sit up and letting her lean heavily against him. “Here, I got you some water.” Rummaging in the bag, he produced a bottle, opening the cap and handing it to her. “Slow-drink it slowly, you want to be able to keep it down, yeah? I got you some ibuprofen as well, but you’ll need to eat one of these cereal bars first, okay?”

Marinette nodded, taking small sips from the bottle, letting the cool liquid soothe her throat. When she was done, Chat passed her a cereal bar, “So what happened?” he asked.

She didn’t respond at first, resting her head on his shoulder and nibbling slowly on the snack.

“I was feeling kinda weird so I wanted to get out to clear my head.” She frowned “in hindsight, that was a mistake.”

Chat chuckled softly “you don’t say.”

“Yeah, let me have it-” Marinette huffed “I’m gonna get a real earful from Tikki later anyway. You should just be glad I didn’t try to get down myself.” She shuddered “somehow, I don’t think that would have ended well.” 

“Hero of Paris goes _splat”_ Chat snorted “it’d be all over the news. But seriously,” he sobered “I’m glad you called me.” 

Marinette lifted her head to look at him “you’re my partner-of course I’d call you. Ugh-” she pinched the bridge of her nose as the vertigo hit again. “Now how about we get down from here?”

“You have a way to get home?” Chat rubbed soothing circles on her back, his green eyes regarding her with concern and she blinked. 

“Ye-yeah, I have my phone with me so I’ll just call someone to pick me up once I detransform.”

“Alright then,” Chat’s brow cleared and he nodded slowly, standing and gathering her in his arms. “Hold on tight, milady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vertigo is NO JOKE. One time in school, it was raining during PE so the teachers decided to do big inter-house relay races. My school had six houses, and we were split into North and South with three houses in each so depending on your house you only had classes with students in 'your' side. Anyway with PE, it was all the students in our year in South and our classes were usually only with those in our house. 
> 
> Picture this: I'm in year 9, teachers tell you to get in 6 teams, two for each house, my friends managed to get on one team but I had to go with the other girls who were popular and SUPER COMPETITIVE. We were using half of the sports hall which was about the size of two badminton courts? I think?  
> Anyway. Teams on benches, arranged in a square.  
> Round 1: Each of us ran one lap around the back of the square, and back to our team where we passed the baton down the line to the person at the front until we all did it.  
> Round 2: Same thing. Two laps. This is where things start going wrong. I've almost finished the second lap when the ground beneath my feet seems to slope and it suddenly feels like i'm running downhill but i manage to make it. Unfortunately, I was the last person in my team to go and the next round is:  
> Round 3: ENTIRE TEAM RUNS A LAP
> 
> So I'm lagging behind, we haven't even made it past the second side of the square when I just go SPLAT. Literally fell flat on my face. One second I'm running, the next I'm fully flat on the ground.  
> My team don't notice (go figure). I dust myself off and am about to start running again because my team are assholes and I don't wanna be the one to make them lose but then the teacher on one of the other teams was like 'hanaa omg sit down!!' and made me sit on her teams bench.  
> My team only notice when they get back to base, look across the court and see me opposite. It was a truly humiliating experience.  
> On the bright side, they let me go get changed and leave early 
> 
> I think this might have been the year I sprained my ankle in class, teacher told me to sit down for five minutes and then get back in the game, it got progressively worse as the day continued, I went to the nurse who said I should have been bought to her IMMEDIATELY and wrapped it, then I walked home like usual and apparently that was the last straw because my ankle swelled to the size of a tennis ball and I had to take a week off school because I couldn't stand lmao.


	19. I picked these for you (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more historical marichat goodness. This takes place before the events of chapter 5.

“Will you do me the honour of accompanying me to the ball- _ugh no_ that’s too formal” Adrien muttered angrily to himself as he walked, tugging at his coat to make sure he looked presentable. 

Some might have said it was serendipitous that Adrien had fallen from his horse on the stretch of country road that ran behind the Dupain bakery; that despite his protests, the owner-Tom-had insisted that on taking him in and allowing him to recover in his own home; that he’d had his mask with him and was able to conceal his identity as a nobleman's son.

Adrien himself wasn’t the type to believe in such things, but still, he found himself praying to the fates as he made his way back to the bakery. 

It had been two months now since he had last been there. Two months since he had last seen Monsieur Dupains daughter-Marinette. Two months of sleepless nights as he lay awake thinking about her until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

He’d only known Marinette for three weeks, but somehow she had made a place for herself in his heart, haunting his every waking moment, haunted his dreams with her blue eyes, and her laughter, and her kindness. 

Though he hadn’t been able to do much work while he healed, Adrien had insisted on helping out as much as he could, and Marinette hadn’t laughed at his pitiful attempts to bake, or his terrible milking skills. Rather, she’d taught him-never once losing patience like his tutors would have after the third attempt at explaining. 

Truthfully, he hadn’t ever wanted to leave. 

“Oh, God,” Adrien stopped in his tracks, staring at his empty hands in horror before spinning on his heel and veering into the fields. How could he have forgotten? He berated himself furiously, looking around at the wildflowers, searching for the best ones. 

Well. At least now he had some extra time to think about what he’d say.

* * *

“Maman, I’m just going to the market for the fishmonger-” she cut off abruptly as she opened the door to see Chat Noir standing on the other side, his hand poised to knock. 

Marinette blinked. “ _Chat?”_

“The one and only.” 

She thought she’d never see him again. After he’d left, she’d tried to put him out of her mind, and had only been partially successful.

Marinette liked to think that she was a sensible girl. The type who didn’t get carried away with flights of fancy, or romantic notions about love. She was practical, maintaining the house while maman helped papa in the bakery, and making sure the bakery ran smoothly by ensuring the wellbeing of their animals. Marinette had even begun to make a name for herself in the village as a talented seamstress, and so always had a project of her own at any given time. In a year or two, she would be of marriageable age, and her parents were sure to find a suitable match for her. This practicality would suit her well then, and she was sure to be content. 

It wasn’t until she met Chat Noir, that Marinette realised that happiness and contentment were not one and the same. 

“I-” Marinette began “I-what are you doing here?”

Chat didn’t answer. “I picked these for you-” he said instead, thrusting a small bouquet of wildflowers into her hands. “Will you walk with me?” 

She bit her lip, looking over her shoulder back into the house. “Alright.” Marinette tightened the shawl around her shoulders, stepping out and closing the door. “I was just going to the market, so do you mind…?” 

“No, no! Of course not!” Chat exclaimed, walking beside her as she set off down the path. “So…” Marinette trailed off awkwardly “What brings you back here again?” 

Chat frowned. “I couldn’t have just wanted to see my friend?”

She looked down at the flowers she’d put in her basket. “Do you give _all_ your friends flowers?”

“Only you.” He grinned “pretty flowers for a pretty lady. Though these blossoms pale in comparison to your own beauty.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Flatterer.” It was a cool day, the wind biting at her cheeks, and Marinette hoped that he would believe the flush on her cheeks to be caused by the weather. She’d almost forgotten how Chat made her feel with just a few words, how he sent her heart racing and made her laugh with his dramatics.

“I speak only the truth, my lady”

Arriving at the market, they didn’t speak much, walking in companionable silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence, and it was only when they began to walk back to the bakery that Chat spoke again.

“Actually, Marinette, I did have an ulterior motive in coming to see you today.” At her prompting, he continued “I’m sure you’ve heard of the ball that’s being held in a week's time?” 

Marinette nodded. Invitations had been extended to everyone, regardless of station or rank, and Marinette had been flooded with requests for ball gowns and dresses by the girls in the village. 

“Well, I-” Chat licked his lips “I wanted to ask, if you would accompany me. To the ball.” 

“ _What?”_ Marinette stopped in her tracks, staring at Chat incredulously. He couldn’t mean…”Chat you can’t mean that. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb in a place like that!”

“You’ll be the most beautiful person there.” His vibrant green eyes were trained intently on hers. “Anyone else in attendance would pale in comparison.” 

“That’s kind of you to say,” she ducked her head “but we both know that isn’t true.”

“It is to me.” Chat stepped closer to her, taking her hand in his. “Marinette,” he looked down at their hands, “I have spent so long in your world, getting to know you, falling in-after I fell that day. I simply ask that you step foot in mine, if only for a day.” He met her gaze earnestly, his eyes searching hers. “I understand completely, if you do not wish to go, and I will not press the matter further, but...” 

“You’ll-” Marinette cleared her throat, interrupting him. “You’ll be there?” she asked quietly, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth; that she was actually considering accepting his invitation. 

“Yes. I will be at your side, the entire time. You have my word.” 

What could be the harm? Marinette swallowed roughly, her mind running through all the possibilities. Chat had never lied to her before, and surely, she’d never get such a chance again. Why _shouldn’t_ she go? “Very well.” She said, nodding once, resolutely to herself, finding herself smiling in response to the grin that had spread across Chat’s face at her answer. 

“Will you come, then?”

Marinette had always thought that she was a sensible girl. Maybe it was time to be impulsive for once.

“Yes.”


	20. It brings out your eyes (Adrinette)

“ _ C’mon-”  _ Marinette was practically vibrating in her seat beside him, tugging Adrien’s hand to lead him over to the couch. “open my present first and then you can open maman and papas.”

“Presents?” Adrien’s head snapped to look back and forth between Marinette’s parents “you didn’t have to-having me over to dinner was  _ more _ than enough—” 

“Oh they wanted to, don’t worry” Marinette waved him off, letting go of his hand to rummage through the small pile of gifts beside the couch. “Here, let me just find it—” 

Adrien hesitated, looking at Tom and Sabine, still sitting at the table. “You kids go on ahead, we’ll join you after clearing the table.” Sabine smiled fondly at him “let you guys have a little time to yourselves, before we start with the games.” Adrien flushed at the implication, but didn’t argue, heading into the sitting room where Marinette had finally unearthed her gift and sat waiting for him. 

“Here!” she shoved it into his hands and Adrien laughed at her enthusiasm. He knew she’d made him clothes of some sort of course—it was  _ Marinette _ after all. Adrien would have known she was making him clothes, even if he  _ hadn’t _ noticed some of his shirts vanishing whenever Marinette happened to be in his room. Still, that didn’t mean he had any idea what it was in particular she’d made. 

Under her watchful gaze, he opened the wrapping paper carefully, taking his time with it to make Marinette squirm, until eventually he decided to stop teasing her and removed the last of the paper, pulling out a deep purple hoodie. 

“Do you like it?” Marinette asked eagerly as he shook it out, taking in the cat ears on the hood, the bright green fabric lining inside. On the top left, she’d embroidered a green cat inside a flowerpot, with the word ‘catcus’ written underneath. 

“ _ Like  _ it?” Adrien repeated incredulously, “Marinette I  _ love it!” _ shrugging off his overshirt, he pulled the hoodie on, tugging at the hem to straighten it. “I can’t believe you made me a pun hoodie.”

Marinette winced “yeah I couldn’t bring myself to have it big and in the middle so I hope you like it—”

“I don’t care, it’s the  _ best.” _ He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. “I really like this shade of purple as well, actually. It’s really nice.”

“Yeah?” Marinette pulled away, pecking him briefly on the lips before snuggling up against him. “That’s good, because it really brings out your eyes.”

“Really,” Adrien laughed, sitting back against the couch and letting Marinette put his arm around her shoulders, “I’ll make sure to wear it often then.”


	21. One more chapter (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was also partially inspired by Maketea's series [hotel suite/apartment superhero shenanigans](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813561) that shit is just SO GOOD so this is them, in a hotel room, not transformed but wearing shitty plastic masks to hide their identities lmao

“—among the riven oak’s roots.”

Chat finished reading and glanced down at Ladybug. She was a warm weight in his arms, her head tucked just below his chin, breathing slow and even, having fallen asleep as he read. 

Shifting slightly, Chat took in the soft planes of her face, her pink PJs—a colour he’d never have thought to associate with Ladybug, but seemed to make so much  _ sense _ now, softening her usually hard edges, ringed in red.

He pushed the loose strands of her hair out her face, smiling as Ladybug sighed into his touch and he let his hand linger at her jaw, her skin soft beneath his fingertips.

These were the only times Chat saw her completely relaxed. Really, it was probably the only time she  _ did.  _ In her waking hours, Ladybug seemed incapable of relaxing, running herself completely ragged with the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Chat was pretty sure that she’d work until she collapsed if he hadn’t noticed her continued exhaustion and forced her to rest properly once a week. 

The hotel rooms were good for that, and for their privacy. They were warmer too. 

Moving slowly so that he wouldn’t jostle her, Chat pulled the blanket higher over them, tucking it underneath her chin, but she stirred at the movement. 

“Keep reading,” Ladybug spoke around a yawn, her hand tightening where it gripped the front of his t-shirt. 

“You’re half asleep, bug, I’m pretty sure you won’t even take in any of it.”

“I’m lis-i’m listening,” she insisted, opening one eye to glare sleepily up at him “I like your voice. It’s good.”

“Why thank you,” he chuckled, dropping a kiss to the top of her head “okay, one more chapter, and that’s it, alright?”

Ladybug hummed contentedly, tilting her head up to press a kiss to the column of his throat. “Thank you,” she murmured against his skin, her eyes already drifting closed as he opened the book again and flipped to the right page. Lifting his mask a little, he rubbed absentmindedly at the slight indentations it had made on his cheeks before settling again, his arm wrapped securely around Ladybug’s shoulders. 

“The fair folk surrounding…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book he's reading is _An Enchantment of Ravens _and I love that book so much its fantastic.__
> 
> __Ok seriously though, reading to people is so underrated it's actually one of my favourite things to do — provided I actually like the person and want to do it._ _


	22. Try some (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen a lot of stuff for this prompt being about food so I figured I'd better switch it up a little

Marinette loved the rain. 

Not just because it reminded her of the day she’d fallen in love with Adrien, though that was certainly part of it, especially in recent years. 

No, Marinette had always loved days like these,  when the clouds were so heavy and dark; when the wind howled angrily, buffeting trees and anything that stood in its way; days when the rain poured down in freezing cold sheets, pounding relentlessly and forcing people to retreat inside where it was warm and safe. 

Marinette  _ especially _ liked when days like these fell on the weekend. She usually liked to relax, to make a large mug of hot chocolate with her favourite luxury brand, adding extra marshmallows and whipped cream, and then curl up on her chaise with a good book. 

She was doing just that when the steady rhythm of the rain beating down on the roof above her was interrupted by a loud yelp and clatter. Exchanging an exasperated look with Tikki, Marinette got up to grab a towel and opened the skylight window. “Chat, get in here!” she yelled to be heard over the rain and he bounded over, following her through the window.

“You’re making a habit of crashing on my balcony you know.”

“Not on purpose this time!” Chat protested “I was about to go across to the next roof but I slipped in the stupid rain.” He glared out the window, but the effect was somewhat diminished by his blonde hair that was plastered to his head. 

Marinette tsked. Chat was completely soaked, and now that he was out of the rain-beginning to shiver as well. 

“You’ll get sick if you don’t try off properly—”

“Aww, princess you  _ do  _ care!” 

She sniffed disdainfully, turning around to hide her smile “I care that you’re getting my floor wet, so why don’t you detransform—I should have some dry clothes here somewhere that you can wear.” 

“Um…Marinette?” 

“What?” she turned around, raising an eyebrow at his awkward grimace.

“How am I supposed to hide my identity then?” 

Marinette sent him an unimpressed look, throwing the towel at him so that it landed on his head. “Like that.” She rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t have something in mind—I’m making Alya and Nino’s halloween costumes and they’re going as superheroes, so you can wear one of their masks.” 

“Oh.”

She ignored him, rummaging through her pile of sewing projects; she knew they were here somewhere….”aha!” Marinette exclaimed “hmm, okay,” she examined the different outfits, before deciding on a few shirts and pants for him. “These look like they’d be your size—try some. Oh, and here’s your mask,” she grabbed it off her desk and handed him the pile of clothes. “I’m just gonna go grab some snacks from downstairs while you get changed.”

By the time she’d come back up, Chat was lounging comfortably on her chaise, flipping through the book she’d been reading. He brightened when he saw her, sitting up even straighter when he saw the pastries she carried. “Thanks for the clothes, Marinette! They’re pretty much a perfect fit.” He tilted his head curiously “who did you make these for anyway?” 

“Oh, no-one in particular,” Marinette shrugged “I’m just practising making boys clothes. Good thing you’re the same size as Adrien Agreste, huh?” 

Chat choked on the macaron he’d just shoved into his mouth. 

"Mhm,” he nodded feebly pounding hard on his chest. Taking the glass of water she offered him, he gulped it down quickly, eyes watering as he caught his breath.“Yeah, no that’s uh, that’s really lucky!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is really starting to wonder how long he'll be able to keep his identity secret from Marinette lmao
> 
> Let me just say: melting properly rich chocolate into your hot chocolate instead of using powder is a game changer. My favourite to use is either Galaxy or Lindt Excellence Caramel with sea salt, that stuff is DECADENT.


	23. Sorry I'm late (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Said this to my friend when I was talking about today's chapter:  
> In which Adrien is running late, a waiter is patronising, and Marinette is ready to cut a bitch. Honestly, I love writing slightly older Adrinette. Like, I love writing them as blushy newly in a relationship young teens, but established is super fun too-as you'll see in this chapter

“Shit-” Adrien looked up from his phone where his text to Marinette was still sending and groaned at the traffic ahead of him. At this rate, it would take him over an hour to make it, even with Gorilla taking shortcuts. 

Looking out the back window, he examined the slow moving cars, pretty much locked in a standstill and came to a quick decision. 

“Okay you know what I don’t have time for this,” he muttered to himself, continuing aloud to get Gorilla’s attention. “I’m gonna run it. “I’ll let you know when to pick us up.” Adrien barely waited for Gorilla to nod before he opened the door and dashed across the lanes, ignoring the beeps of cars as he passed in front of them.

“Oh come  _ on!” _ he yelled “you’re not even moving!”

* * *

He was late.

Marinette wasn’t particularly annoyed by it-Adrien was hardly the type to ditch her, and things had probably run over during the shoot, as they often did. She  _ was _ however beginning to get very annoyed at the waiter hovering over her shoulder and making assumptions.

She’d gone ahead and ordered the wine after twenty minutes, and her ears had burned when she overheard him whisper loudly as he passed another server: “poor girl doesn’t know she’s been stood up yet.” 

Marinette swore under her breath as he approached, bottle in hand, his eyes alighting on the still empty seat across from her. “First date?” he tsked pityingly. 

“No, actually.” Marinette grit her teeth, gesturing to her phone on the table “he’s just running late.” 

“Of course,” the waiter smiled, though it was clear from the mocking gleam in his eye that he didn’t believe her. 

* * *

Running had definitely been the right choice, Adrien thought to himself, taking in the traffic on the road beside him. It had been like this the entire way, as though the city were completely deadlocked, even though it wasn’t yet rush hour.

Still, he was almost there; the restaurant was just down the next street and then—Adrien skidded to a stop and jogged backwards to stand in front of the beautiful display in the florists window. 

“Ah, what the hell, I’m already late,” he muttered under his breath, making his way inside “might as well bring flowers.” 

* * *

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but if you don’t order anything in the next thirty minutes, we’re going to have to ask you to leave.” The waiter's voice was firm, but laced with fake sympathy, and Marinette stifled an irritated sigh. 

He thought she was in denial, she knew, so she pasted a smile on her face and looked up at him. “And  _ I  _ said I will, as soon as my date gets here—”

He rolled his eyes, “Ma’am, I don’t think—” a commotion at the entrance cut him off and Marinette grinned when she saw a dishevelled looking Adrien enter the restaurant.

“You were saying?” She asked the waiter smugly, standing up to greet Adrien as he rushed across the room.

“Sorry I’m late, honey.” Adrien hugged her quickly, pulling away to kiss her, his lips cold on hers. “The shoot ran over, but then there was  _ insane _ traffic and I don’t think my text went through”— at that moment her phone dinged with a notification and he pointed at it with a laugh. “Bet that’s it right now. Anyway, I figured it’d be faster to run here, and I stopped to get you  _ these. _ ” He pressed a bouquet of red roses into her hands, leaning in to kiss her again, lingering a little longer this time before sitting down, “to apologise.”

Marinette buried her face in the soft petals, inhaling their delicate aroma. “Thank you, Adrien,” she said, “these are so sweet, but really, there’s nothing to apologise for. I can’t believe you  _ ran!” _

“Well I didn’t wanna be even  _ later,  _ did I?” Adrien glanced at his watch. “Huh, I made decent time actually.” He looked up, finally seeming to notice the waiter gaping at the two of them beside their table. “Is something the matter?” 

“N-no!” he spluttered, face reddening in embarrassment “I’ll just…” he backed away “I’ll just give you some time to get your orders ready.” 

Adrien’s expression was puzzled when he turned back to her “what was  _ that _ about?” 

“Oh, it was nothing,” she waved a hand dismissively. “Come on, let’s order; I’m  _ starving.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we talk about pet names? Because goddamn, if my significant other called me sweetheart, or honey, I would MELT


	24. Have you eaten anything today? (Ladrien)

“Alright guys, take ten!” Vincent yelled, gesturing for the set designers to descend onto the scene, ready to take it apart for the next shoot. “Summer’s up next, we need the two of you looking _refreshed!_ ”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he disentangled himself from his modelling partner, her invitation to spend the break together falling on deaf ears as he made his way to his dressing room. He had no desire to do anything other than collapse on his couch until they needed him again. 

Entering his room, Adrien leaned heavily against the closed door, finally allowing his eyes to slip shut. 

“Long day?” 

“Mhm,” he sighed “I’ve been up since-wait”—Adrien jerked upright, his eyes shooting open. “ _Ladybug?”_

Ladybug waved at him from where she was sitting at his dressing table. “Hi!” she smiled sheepishly, “sorry, I broke in—”

“N-no it’s fine!” Adrien exclaimed, rushing forward “you’re always welcome here, but...what brought this visit on?”

“What, I can’t come see my boyfriend?” Her cheeks flushed adorably as she spoke and Adrien found his own reddening as well at her use of the word. Their relationship was still relatively new, and he felt a giddy thrill run down his spine every time she called him that. 

_Boyfriend_. 

It took him a long moment to realise that Ladybug was still talking, and he blinked, focusing on her words again. 

“—shoot been?”

“Hm? Oh-it’s for father’s valentines collection-its a seasons of love thing. So far we’ve only done spring, but Vincent thinks he can do all four seasons by the end of the day.” 

“And do you?” Ladybug’s eyes were full of concern as she appraised him, taking in his exhausted posture. At the confused tilt of his head, she elaborated. “Do you think you’ll finish up today?”

“Honestly? No.” Adrien admitted. Call him a pessimist, but he’d come to the studio at seven in the morning and it was now past midday. This was the longest break he’d had in the last six hours.

Ladybug must have read the frustration in his expression, because she cupped his face in her hand, smiling as he leaned into the touch with a sigh. 

“Well, have you at least eaten anything today?” she asked.

“When would I have had the time?”

“Adrien!” Ladybug exclaimed, drawing back to fix him with a disapproving glare. “God, no wonder you’re so tired! How do you expect to finish the photoshoot if you pass out from hunger?”

“Maybe then I can go home and _sleep._ ” he muttered darkly and she tutted, turning around to grab something from his dressing table. 

“Here,” she pressed a tupperware box into his hands “maybe this will make you feel better.” 

Opening the lid, Adrien swallowed roughly, taking in the lunch Ladybug had bought him; the selection of all his favourite things.

“Ladybug, you didn’t have t—” he began, but she interrupted him.

“I _wanted_ to. Now, I need to head out, but you should eat some of this before you have to go back.” Ladybug regarded him with a worried frown and Adrien nodded, not trusting himself to speak around the lump in his throat. Leaning forward she pressed a kiss to his cheek, “don’t just leave it here, okay?” and then with one last smile, she was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't know how to finish bring this one to a close, so sorry for the abrupt ending lol. I also have no idea how photoshoots work so this is all just from my imagination. I remember reading this book series called Fashionista's where each book was about one of four models who lived together in London and I just remember the book called _Laura _made me never want to be a model EVER.__


	25. I'll always worry about you (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Companion to chapter 21, this is how the hotel room arrangement came to be. They're in the early stages of a relationship but SO SMITTEN

“Careful, bugaboo, I know I'm handsome, but there’s only so many times you can fall for me!” Chat joked, steadying Ladybug as she stumbled again. Despite the jovial tone, he failed to mask his worry, frowning as she rolled her eyes, righting herself.

“I’m just tired, Chat, I’ll be fine after a nap.” 

_Tired._ was an understatement. For weeks now, he’d watched as the dark circles underneath her eyes deepened, as her eyes glazed with exhaustion and she seemed to struggle more and more with standing on her own two feet. Plagg had told him that when their suits allowed them to stay more alert, but if she was this tired when _transformed_ , then she must be completely dead on her feet as a civilian. “Make sure you have one then, alright?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Ladybug muttered, waving him off and throwing her yo-yo out, preparing to take off. “I’ll see you at patrol tomorrow?”

Chat nodded, brow furrowing as he watched her go, formulating plans in his mind already. It was pretty clear to him now that Ladybug was _not_ going to rest. Not without someone making her.

And if no-one else would do it, well. He was more than willing to step up to the task.

* * *

“Chat, what is this?” Ladybug raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the room he’d brought her to. He’d insisted that it was important so she’d followed, but nothing seemed amiss and they were missing patrol time for _this?_

“A hotel room,” he said, the ‘duh’ clear in his tone. 

She fixed him with an unimpressed look. “I can see that, but _why_ are we here?”

“To sleep.” Chat gestured to the large bed that took up half the room. “You need it and I don’t believe you when you say you will, so here we are.” 

“Really, Chat?” she turned back to the window but he blocked her path and she sighed. “Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but...we still have to patrol, I can’t just skip to take a _nap_. That’s not exactly professional.”

“Actually, I patrolled early tonight.” Chat grabbed her by the hand, tugging her over to the bed where she saw he’d left a carrier bag. Rummaging through it, he pulled out a plain set of pajamas and a plastic superhero mask. “You can detransform and put these on so we can keep our identities secret—I got myself one too.” he held up a Batman mask with a grin. “you get Spiderman.”

“I—” She wanted to protest some more, but Chat was right, she’d been burning the candle at both ends and it was getting pretty bad. Just that morning she’d put orange juice in her coffee instead of milk. Not to mention the fact that the bed looked _so_ soft and comfortable...

”Oh _fine!”_ with a huff she grabbed the clothes from his hands. “But only if you lie with me. It’ll be weird otherwise. _”_

They took turns in the bathroom getting changed, and by the time Chat emerged, Ladybug was already under the covers, the duvet pulled up to her chin as she fought against her heavy eyelids, the urge to close her eyes overwhelming. 

She’d been right. The bed _was_ comfy. But when she set eyes on Chat, she had to bring the covers up even higher to hide her blush.

Objectively, she’d always known that Chat was attractive, and in recent years as he’d grown taller, and more muscular, it had been harder to ignore, especially in his suit. Even more so recently, whenever they kissed, giving her the chance to _really_ explore.

But _this..._ this was entirely different. The baggy t-shirt Chat wore did nothing to hide biceps that should have been illegal. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect, drawing her attention to them instead and he smirked as he caught the direction of her stare. “Like what you see?”

“Just turn the light off,” Ladybug grumbled, closing her eyes and flushing deeper when his warm laugh reached her ears. 

For a long while, they simply lay on their sides beside each other, with the only sound in the room their breathing, until, tired of the silence, Ladybug shifted onto her side to face Chat, hands folded underneath her head. He mimicked her pose, meeting her gaze steadily in the dark. They were vivid even without his transformation, seeming more so with the sclera of his eyes white now instead of green. 

She knew she could get lost in those eyes if she wasn’t careful. Ladybug found that the thought didn’t scare her that much anymore. “You know, you worry too much.” She whispered, and the corner of Chat’s mouth ticked up in a smile.

“I’ll always worry about you,” he reached out to run his hand up and down her arm gently and she shivered at the feel of his bare skin, shifting closer until he could wrap his arm easily around her waist. “But I’ll worry a little _less_ , if you take care of yourself.” Chat pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Mmkay,” Ladybug mumbled, “You were right, this is nice. We should do it again.” Nestling her head into the crook of his neck, she smiled as his chest rumbled with quiet laughter, and she finally allowed her eyes to slip shut, hearing Chat speak as if from a great distance.

“It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok the thought of them meeting up in hotels as civilians and hiding their identity by each wearing Batman and Spiderman masks is absolutely SENDING me


	26. Stay over (Marichat)

It was funny, Marinette thought, how quickly she had begun to schedule her time around Chat’s visits to her balcony. Before, he’d show up unexpectedly, sometimes several days in a row, sometimes once every two weeks. It wasn’t until a year after his first visit that Marinette realised how they had become so regular that without her notice, Friday evenings had unofficially become ‘Chat evenings’.

Not that she minded. In fact, she rather looked forward to the end of the week when she would see him; purely because she enjoyed getting to know her partner when he wasn’t posturing to impress Ladybug, and not at all because of any  _ feelings _ that Tikki enjoyed teasing her about. 

Most weeks, they just hung out together, watching movies or making their way through a large plate of rejected pastries from the bakery. Tonight though, they sat in companionable silence, with Chat bouncing a ball against the wall while she finished up some homework, music playing softly in the background. It was the most relaxed she’d felt all week, so she was surprised when Chat sat up straight with a loud exclamation.

“What is it, Chat?” 

“I didn’t realise how late it was”— he scrambled to his feet “I should-I should go.”

Despite his words, he seemed reluctant to leave and before she could think too much about it, Marinette blurted out “or _ ,  _ you could stay.”

“Huh?” Chat stared at her, green eyes wide and she fought to hide the blush blooming on her cheeks. 

“Stay over,” Marinette repeated. She knew—from her conversations with him as Ladybug  _ and  _ as Marinette—that Chat didn’t particularly enjoy going home, and tried to stay out as much as he could, and it wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go, so really what was the harm?

He was still staring at her when she continued, his head tilted to the side curiously. “Well...it’s Saturday tomorrow right? No school or anything, so you could stay…” Marinette shut her notebook “I’m done with my work so we can just play video games or watch some movies or something. Don’t feel obligated to just because I’m asking though, I just thought it could be fun and”— her eyes alighted on the empty plate on her chaise “—oh yeah and I really wanted to get you to test out this new recipe I tried. Maman and papa aren’t exactly  _ impartial  _ you know? _.” _

At this, Chat grinned, finally relaxing and sitting back down. “Aha! So that’s your ulterior motive!”

“Yep,” Marinette snickered “you’ve found me out! It’s been my plan all along to fatten you up with pastries, what are you gonna do about it?” 

He scoffed. “I’ll take them! You think I’m gonna turn down free pastries? Think again!”

“So you’ll stay?”

Chat shrugged nonchalantly, though Marinette could tell he was pleased. “Sure, why not?”


	27. Wanna get out of here? (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about missing yesterday lol I've been working on finishing up another fic so didn't get the chance to update.

“Mhm, how fascinating,” Marinette murmured, smiling genially at the woman in front of her. “You’ll have to show me sometime!”

Marinette was absolutely bored out of her _skull._

When she’d been invited to the _Gabriel_ party as Adrien’s plus one, she’d been too excited at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with so many influential people in the fashion industry; to get a chance to see all the newest fashions up close and personal, to pick the brains of some of the best designers in Paris. 

What she hadn’t anticipated was how mind numbingly _dull_ some of the company could be. 

Having been waylaid on her way back from the drinks table by an overbearing couple who had recognised her as Monsieur Agreste’s apprentice, she’d spent the past half hour trying to disentangle herself from their company in a way that didn’t offend.

Apparently that meant smiling and nodding until the conversation had run its course. 

Taking advantage of a brief lull in their exchange, Marinette turned her head to look over the room, searching for Adrien in the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. What else could she do? Maybe say she was going to get her drink refilled? But no, they’d probably flag down a waiter carrying wine instead.

Her musings were cut short when an arm slipped around her waist, and she relaxed, letting herself be pulled against Adrien’s side as he dipped his head to kiss her cheek, lingering a beat longer, his warm breath tickling her ear as he murmured:

"Wanna get out of here?"

Marinette shivered, nodding imperceptibly and he grinned, turning a winning smile to the couple who held her hostage. “I’m so sorry guys, but I’m gonna have to steal my girlfriend from you now, is that alright?” 

They nodded enthusiastically in response, cooing over the two of them as Adrien guided her away, keeping a firm grip on her waist and speeding up until they were out of sight. “Oh god,” Marinette exclaimed, lowering her voice when he saw a few heads turning their way. “Was I _that_ obvious?” 

“Only to the people who know you,” Adrien snickered, “and anyway, what are boyfriends for, if not to save you from uncomfortable social situations?” 

Marinette spun around to face Adrien as soon as they made it out into the empty hotel lobby, pulling him into the nearest alcove before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. When they finally pulled away, she giggled at the dazed look in his green eyes.

“What was that for?” 

“For the gallant rescue, of course. And I’ve been wanting to do that _all_ night.” She looked him up and down appreciatively, taking in the finely tailored suit he wore, the green tie he’d loosened that matched the accents on her dress, and of course, the rakish smile as he raised an eyebrow and ducked his head down to pepper light kisses all along her jaw. 

“Is that so?” Adrien murmured, his mouth hot on her skin as he trailed kisses down her throat. “What a coincidence,” he grinned when she gasped quietly, electricity coursing through her veins at his touch. Tugging at the lapels of his suit jacket to bring him closer, she felt her knees weakening as Adrien obliged her with a smirk, tightening his grip on her waist and holding her flush against him, capturing her lips once more. 

“So have I.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh, this one got a little ✨steamy✨ at the end there didn't it?


	28. It's not heavy. I'm stronger than I look (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double update! Since I missed another day, but you'll see why since I was finishing up my MWG Feb event fic. Anyway
> 
> Here, we have some aged up, domestic adrinette. Enjoy!

“Damn.” Adrien said, looking between the large counter top basin already in their trolley and the toilets they were standing in front of now. “I mean...this says”-he scanned the details on the box “it’s twenty seven kilograms and it’ll be hard enough to get the box out, and then  _ lift  _ it higher to get it in the trolley? Not happening.” He nodded, coming to a decision. “We’re gonna need one of those flatbed ones.” 

Marinette nodded distractedly, hardly paying attention to Adrien’s ramblings. “Sure, shall I go get it?”

“Would you? That’d be great!” Adrien peered over the shelves, calling after her as she wandered off. “They should be by the entrance!”

Ugh, remodelling a house was so much  _ work, _ Marinette thought to herself. She’d lost count of the amount of times they’d been to this shop. If she never stepped foot in the hardware store again, it would be  _ too soon _ .

“Alright, flatbed, flatbed, where are those stupid trolleys?” She muttered under her breath “aha!” hurrying through the doors to the trolley station, she grabbed hold of the one they needed, grunting at its unexpected weight. “What the hell?” 

Marinette tried to turn it, to manoeuvre the trolley through the doors but it wouldn’t budge, no matter how much force she put behind her push, her shoulder protesting at the abuse. Bending over to examine the wheels, she tried to see if there was any kind of brake system, but there was nothing. “Oh, for god’s sake.” Marinette grumbled, giving up and walking in front of the trolley instead, pulling it backwards behind her. 

Of course,  _ that would _ be perfectly easy! 

It took much longer than it should have, for Marinette to make her way back to Adrien, having to take care not to knock anything over as she turned corners.

“You okay there?” Adrien asked, the amusement clear in his tone even as she glowered darkly at him. 

“I’m fine.” She bit out “now let's hurry up and put the toilet on this thing so we can  _ leave _ .” 

Adrien laughed. “As my lady wishes.” Turning to grab the large box, he put a hand out to stop her. “But  _ we  _ aren’t doing anything. I’ll do it.” 

Marinette opened her mouth to protest, but Adrien had already continued “it’s not heavy. I’m stronger than I look” he grinned, flexing an arm. “ _ You _ already know that.”

“It’s  _ twenty seven kilograms!” _ Marinette sputtered “and excuse me, but  _ I  _ am Ladybug! You  _ literally _ said we couldn’t lift it before, so let me help!” 

“I said we couldn’t lift it into  _ that,”  _ Adrien nodded over to their regular trolley “but loading it onto the flatbed will be easy.” Sensing her distress, his voice softened . “I know you can lift it, sweetheart, but you’re not  _ supposed _ to be doing any heavy lifting,” his gaze drifted down towards her slightly rounded stomach, and he leaned forward to peck her on the lips quickly “remember?” 

Dammit, he was right. 

“Fine.” Marinette sniffed disdainfully, ignoring the rush of warmth she’d felt at Adrien’s words, watching as he quickly loaded up their trolley. All of those feelings evaporated, however, when he handed her the small trolley and took the flatbed and pushed it-in front of himself-with ease. 

“Oh come  _ on!” _ she exclaimed, gaping after him before hurrying to catch up “that’s just  _ unfair!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was totally not inspired by me being utterly unable to push a flatbed trolley in B&Q today when I went with mum to buy stuff for the bathroom remodel, nope, no siree, that is NOT why I decided to do this prompt today. 
> 
> Of course in real life, I was the one doing all the heavy lifting and let me tell you-Adrien may say 27kg isn't heavy but for a 5ft person with hardly any upper body strength, that shit IS.


	29. I saved a piece for you (Ladynoir)

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Chat watched as the healing light spread out across the city and turned to Ladybug for their customary fistbump.

“Pound it!” they exclaimed together, and then Ladybug frowned as her earrings beeped. 

“Will you talk to this guy? My timers at the end.”

“Sure thing, m’lady!” Chat grinned, “I’ve got time” he gestured to his ring. They hadn’t had to use cataclysm today, so he was in no rush. 

“Good,” Ladybug hesitated before swinging away. “Hey Chat? meet me at our usual place in ten minutes?” She barely waited for him to nod before she was gone, leaving Chat to watch after her with a bemused smile.

* * *

Marinette had  _ just _ transformed back into Ladybug when Chat landed on the roof behind her, coming up to sit next to her against the chimney. 

“Not that I mind a little alone time with my lady,” Chat teased. “But what’s this about?”

“It’s nothing serious.” Marinette snorted. “I just wanted to give you this.” She picked up the wrapped gift and handed it to him. Marinette had kept it in her purse all day so that she wouldn’t forget it during patrol, but now seemed like just as good a time as any to give it to him.

Chat tilted his head curiously, picking at the paper carefully.

“You can rip the paper,  _ chaton,  _ it’s not exactly expensive.”

“But it’s so pretty!” he protested, though after a few more minutes of fiddling with the tape, he huffed and sliced through it with his claws, gasping at what he saw inside. 

“Cake!” 

“Well, it was my birthday this weekend, and papa made a huge cake so,” she shrugged “I saved a piece for you. You like it?” 

She laughed as Chat broke a piece off and tried it. “Oh, this is  _ delicious!  _ You are too kind to me, bugaboo. _ ”  _

“Okay, you know what, give it back,” Marinette scowled-rather unsuccessfully since she couldn’t stop the smile from tugging at her lips-reaching across Chat to grab at his cake even as he laughed and held it over his head out of her reach. “I  _ told _ you to stop calling me that!” 


	30. There’s that beautiful smile (Marichat)

Marinette wasn’t out on her balcony. 

Chat frowned, landing softly on the roof and scanning the area, but there was no sight of her. He always came by on Wednesday evenings, and she was always waiting for him with a plate of pastries and a thermos of tea. 

But not tonight. 

He thought about earlier that day, how distracted she’d seemed after lunch, rushing off after school before anyone could talk to her or waylay her. 

Tentatively, he approached her window, rapping lightly, and then a little louder, poking his head through the window when she called out:

“It’s open!”

“No pastries for a stray cat tonight, huh?” Chat teased 

“Not now, Chat, I’m busy.” Marinette sounded frazzled and he finally let himself in, jumping down to the floor, and taking in the room. 

Paper and art supplies were scattered everywhere, all over her floor and desk, with barely an inch of free space anywhere. Bending down, he picked up a piece of paper and examined it curiously. The art on the page looked familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it. 

“What’s going on?” Chat came up behind Marinette, looking over her shoulder to watch what she was doing and winced. 

Well it definitely wasn’t her best work. Her hands were shaking, and her lines were rushed and messy but she didn’t even look up at his presence, continuing to sketch as if she was in a race—and losing. 

Chat moved in front of her, perching on the edge of the desk, and he covered her hands with his own, forcing her to stop. “Hey, hey princess,” he softened when she looked up at him. “What’s the matter?” 

Marinette burst into tears. 

_ Shit.  _

Chat froze. How did Nino say you had to deal with crying girls again? Did you hug them? He figured it was better than nothing, scooting forward on the desk so that he could fold Marinette into his arms. It must have been the right thing to do because she clutched at him as she cried, letting him rub a hand soothingly up and down her back until she calmed down. 

“S-sorry, about that,” Marinette said some time later, wiping her eyes and avoiding his gaze, pulling her art portfolio out from underneath the desk. “She said it was an accident,” she explained, flipping through it and showing him how every page was damaged in some way-mostly with coffee stains, and some were simply torn.  “Apparently, this happened because she tried to blot the pages and the paper ripped, but she doesn’t even  _ take  _ art, and an accident would be one piece ruined, not  _ all of them! _ ” She sniffed “so I have to redo everything.” 

“And who is this  _ she _ ?” Chat asked, but he certainly had his suspicions. Lila had been even more smug and insufferable this afternoon, although he hadn’t realised it had anything to do with Marinette until now. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Marinette muttered. “Forget about it.” 

“It matters to  _ me.” _

“Ugh, it was Lila-this girl in my class,” she clarified “who has it out for me. I just can’t be bothered to confront her about this stuff anymore.”

“Why not?” Chat frowned. He’d  _ told  _ Lila to leave Marinette alone, had she been continuing her torment in more discreet ways? He looked over at her portfolio again and had to suppress a growl.  _ That  _ was hardly discreet. 

Marinette shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I spoke to my teachers and they gave me a week's extension, I just…” she sighed “I just have so much  _ other  _ stuff to do as well, and this is all work from the entire  _ year, _ you know? I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to sleep until I finish everything.” 

Chat’s heart ached at Marinette’s forlorn expression, at the way she’d curled in on herself, looking so small in her chair. Something had to be done about Lila now, that much was clear. Something overt rather than private, but first…

“Want me to cataclysm her?” he offered, only half joking, but Marinette’s hand, which had begun inching towards her pencil to start working again stopped, and she clapped it over her mouth to muffle the loud giggle his words had elicited from her. 

“Oh my  _ god, Chat!” _ she exclaimed “you can’t just  _ say  _ things like that! Aren’t you supposed to be a superhero?”

Chat shrugged, pretending to examine his claws nonchalantly. “Exceptions can be made for assholes. It’s in the superhero rule book.”

“Is it now?” Marinette’s voice was amused and he grinned.

“Uh huh. As is making sure pretty girls don’t cry.” 

Marinette snorted. “Well  _ that’s  _ the worst excuse for flirting I’ve ever heard.” 

“But it worked didn’t it?” Chat waggled his eyebrows suggestively, feeling something unfamiliar swell in his chest as Marinette laughed openly at his antics, and he crowed triumphantly. 

“See? There’s that beautiful smile of yours.” Leaning forward to boop her on the nose, he winked when she blushed prettily. “My heroic duty is complete!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is entirely possible that I will do a continuation of this one with an adrinette chapter later on....


	31. No reason (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh this one made me SO SOFT. I've been so excited to do this prompt ever since I came up with the idea for what to do, so...enjoy!

There were many things that Marinette did for ‘no reason’, Adrien had discovered. Bringing extra pastries to school for him; making copies of her notes on the days he had to miss class for photoshoots; and so many other small things that he couldn’t keep track of.

It had taken him far too long to realise _what_ exactly ‘no reason’ meant, and even longer to realise why his heart beat faster whenever Marinette showed him one of these kindnesses, but when he had, he’d berated himself for being so oblivious—a task Plagg had gleefully taken part in—and immediately gone to rectify the situation. Which bought him to now.

“Hey, what happened to all those pictures you had up?” Adrien looked around Marinette’s room, the walls of which were devoid of any of his modelling photos. “Why _did_ you have them up anyway?” he asked, turning to grin at his girlfriend, who squeaked, face flushing red as she covered her face. “And no lying this time!”

“Uh…” Marinette floundered, peering at him through her fingers. “No reason...”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow. “ _Fine_ ,” Adrien sighed dramatically, trying to hide his pleased smile as he swung an arm over Marinette’s shoulder, pulling her close. “Keep your secrets then, I don’t mind.”

* * *

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Marinette blurted out, shifting in her seat to address Adrien properly. She’d felt his gaze burning into her for some time now and had ignored it, focusing instead on the design she was working on, but he hadn’t looked away—until now. 

Adrien coughed self consciously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like what?”

“I-” 

_Like you’re trying to imprint me in your memory,_ she wanted to say. _Like I’m something precious, like you’re afraid I’ll disappear if you look away for even a second._

It had been six months. Six glorious months they’d been dating. Six months in which she had felt her love for him grow more than she’d ever thought was possible. Sometimes she’d lay awake at night, going over their every interaction-every touch, every kiss, every heated glance and hidden smile. But the one thing that _truly_ astounded her, even now, was that her love was reciprocated. 

As if sensing her thoughts, Adrien shook his head, smiling softly. “No reason,” he said and she sighed, melting into his touch as he cupped her neck and drew her close, pressing a lingering kiss to her temple.

* * *

Adrien nodded at the movie usher as he handed their ticket stubs back to them, pocketing them carefully as Marinette watched, her eyes following his movements curiously.

“Why do you keep those?”

“Oh, no reason.” He shrugged. Adrien had never thought of himself as a particularly sentimental person, but now he thought of the box he kept underneath his bed. The box filled with many other ticket stubs just like these, the handful of carnival tickets he’d had leftover after a date, boarding passes from their first holiday together, receipts from anniversary dinners at restaurants, and bad photobooth pictures. 

To others, it might have been junk, and maybe it was. But they were also memories, and Adrien intended to keep every single one.

* * *

“Happy birthday!” Marinette cheered, practically bouncing in her seat beside him. “Here’s your present!” she shoved the large wrapped gift into his lap, and Adriens eyebrows rose in surprise at how hefty it was.

“Did you just wrap up a bunch of bricks and call it a gift?” he teased, dodging her hand as she swatted at him. “What _is_ this?” 

“Unwrap it and see!” 

“A book?” Adrien tore the paper carefully, revealing the large scrapbook inside. “Did you make this?” 

Marinette nodded enthusiastically, and he opened it to the first page, stopping short at what he saw. 

Movie ticket stubs. _Familiar_ ones. 

Quickly, Adrien flipped through the pages, taking in all the mementos from his box that were now in the scrapbook. “Marinette-” he began, breaking off to read what she’d written on the pages. Each memento had its own page, accompanied with Marinette’s written commentary on what she remembered about the date that had accompanied it. 

“Marinette this is _beautiful.”_ Adrien breathed, turning to look at her in awe. “It must have taken you so long, but-why?” 

Adrien couldn’t understand it. Why spend so much time, go to so much effort-for _him?_

She shook her head, a smile playing about her lips. “No reason. I just...well I figured if you were gonna keep them, this was a better way to make sure you don’t lose them. And look”—she pointed at the empty space she’d left on the pages “this way you can write your own memories about each thing too!”

* * *

“Maman! Maman, look what Papa’s showing me!” Emma shouted excitedly, running over to Marinette as soon as she got through the door and dragging her over to the sofa. Adrien laughed at her enthusiasm, leaning over to kiss Marinette in greeting before letting Emma settle beside him, tugging on Marinette’s hand until she sat down too. 

In Emma’s lap was a scrapbook. _The_ scrapbook. Marinette hadn’t known what tradition she was starting when she gave Adrien that scrapbook so many years ago, but now it was only one book of many that documented the milestones in their lives. 

“This my favourite!” Emma declared, jabbing her finger on the page. “See, I try!”

“Oh _god_ ,” Marinette groaned, looking at the pictures—a strip of blurry photos from one of their first carnival dates where she and Adrien were grinning at the camera, and making embarrassingly goofy faces- that had captured her attention— “Why did we keep these again?” 

It was hard to regret their choice though, when between them, Emma was trying valiantly to recreate the photos, and when Marinette met Adriens eyes—glittering with mirth— over their daughters head, she smiled, knowing exactly which two words would come out of his mouth.

“No reason,” He said, and it sounded like _I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a SUCKER for lines in stories that describe how one person looks at the other. One of my favourites is probably:  
>  _He looked at me as though he were marooned and I were a ship he was watching sail out to sea, farther and farther away. ___
> 
> Also, idk why, but this chapter kinda gave me the same vibes as my fic Pink. Maybe its the relationship snapshots or something. Or is it just me?


	32. I believe in you (Ladynoir)

“Sometimes,” Ladybug said, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky. “Sometimes I think we’ll never stop fighting Hawkmoth.” 

“ _What_?” Chat whipped his head around to face her. “Of course we will—”

“Doesn’t feel like it,” she muttered darkly.

“C’mon, bugaboo, where is this coming from?” Scooting closer to her, Chat put his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head when she shifted to settle more comfortably in his embrace. Resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, Ladybug exhaled noisily, her breath puffing out in front of her.

“Did you know I almost gave up my miraculous?” she asked abruptly. “Not to Hawkmoth—” she rushed to assure him “but I actually passed them onto someone else after that first fight. Remember with Stoneheart?” 

Feeling his nod, she continued. “I messed up so badly, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.” 

“But you came back,” Chat said, running his hand gently up and down her arm. “And you proved you _can_ do it.”

“That’s the thing though!” Ladybug exclaimed, tears in her voice. “What if that’s why we aren’t winning? Because I kept the earrings instead of giving them to someone else-someone _better_? And it’s not like we’re making any progress! But Hawkmoth and Mayura—” she broke off, lapsing into silence.

Above them, the moon peered out from behind heavy clouds, a tiny sliver of moonlight illuminating Ladybug’s damp cheeks. Her eyes were deep pools of sadness when she looked at him, daring him to contradict her-not believing that he could.

_She’s been thinking about this for a long time,_ Chat realised suddenly, and he felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest.

Moving so that they sat face to face, Chat grasped her hands in his own. “Listen to me,” he began. “ _Listen_ ” he repeated, forcing Ladybug to meet his eyes. “The same could be said about me”— she opened her mouth to interrupt, but he continued— “maybe someone else might have been better with the ring, who knows?” he shrugged. “But do you think you’d be more effective with a different Chat Noir?”

“ _No!”_ Ladybug reached out to cup his face, her expression stricken “ _Never!”_

Chat couldn’t help the corner of his mouth from ticking up a little. _Good to know_. Reaching up to keep hold of her hand on his face, he turned his head to press a kiss to the middle of her palm. 

“Exactly. We were chosen for a _reason_ . You’re my partner Ladybug, and one day, we’ll end this fight. _Together.”_

For a long moment, Ladybug said nothing, and then she threw her arms around him in a hug.

His arms tightened around her as she pressed her forehead to his chest. When Ladybug finally pulled away, she gave him a watery smile, her voice wobbly. “You really believe that?”

Chat nodded, kissing her softly on the forehead. “I believe,” he said “in _you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I lost it a little in the middle but managed to bring it back at the end there. Ngl though, I really do love soft ladynoir moments


	33. Sweet Dreams (Marichat)

“Yes!” Chat crowed, pumping his fist in the air as his video game character beat Marinette’s. “Ha! I _told_ you I’d win a game!” He grabbed a macaron from the plate on her desk and stuffed it in his mouth. “What, don’t have anything to say? No demands for a remat-oh.” Chat's mouth clicked shut as he finally looked at Marinette beside him.

He sighed. “No wonder it was easy to win this round,” he muttered ruefully, “you won’t be nice and count this round as a win for me, huh?”

Marinette didn’t respond-not that he expected her to. Her eyes were shut, and she’d slid down in her chair, her head lolling to the side.

She’d fallen asleep and he hadn’t even noticed, too preoccupied with the game. It didn’t surprise him that she’d nodded off. He’d been visiting her more often recently, just hanging out, and had noted with concern the heavy workload Marinette had taken upon herself, with commissions and school work and other projects she’d begun for their friends. No wonder she was always late to school in the mornings.

Shaking his head fondly, Chat took the game controller that was held loosely in Marinette’s hand, and put it away on her desk. Glancing at the computer screen, he did a double take at the time. _Shit_ , no wonder she'd fallen asleep. Taking in her awkward position, Chat clucked his tongue, moving to slide an arm behind her knees, lifting her up.

“Alright, Princess,” he murmured “let’s get you to bed, hm?” 

Marinette sighed, nuzzling closer to him as-making sure not to jostle her too much- he made his way carefully up her ladder and set her down under the covers. 

Extricating himself from her hold was considerably more difficult. Before Chat could pull his arms free, Marinette let out a small whine in the back of her throat and he froze, staring unblinking at her sleeping form, hardly daring to breathe until she settled again. But that was all the opening Marinette needed, and he found his hand caught in her surprisingly strong grip. 

Chat huffed a laugh, sitting down beside her on the edge of the bed. “Heh, looks like you don’t want to let me go, princess.”

Well, surely staying for a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt, right? 

Sitting there, Chat took the chance to look at Marinette. _Really_ look at her. She looked so serene, her dark hair fanned out across the pillow, and he realised it was the only time he’d ever seen her so unguarded, her face so relaxed in slumber. At school, she always seemed to avoid him, much to his chagrin, but even when he visited her as Chat, she never truly relaxed. She reminded him of Ladybug that way. 

Leaning forward, Chat brushed the hair out of Marinette’s face with his free hand, startling when she sighed at the gesture, her grip on his other hand relaxing and finally freeing him. Moving slowly so as not to disturb her, he drew the duvet up to her chin, hesitating a moment before kissing her softly on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, princess.”

Had he looked back when he left, Chat might have seen the smile that curled on Marinette’s lips as she burrowed deeper under the covers; might have seen her hand come up to the spot his lips had touched; might have heard her whisper: 

“Goodnight, _Chaton._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing I thought I'd struggle to get this past 300 words and then it decided to get to almost 600. I am _absolutely _not complaining__


	34. It doesn't bother me (Ladrien)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't too sure about how this would turn out, but we ended up with a cute one!

The first thing Adrien said when he met Ladybug that evening was: “I’m sorry!”

“What are _you_ sorry for?” Ladybug smiled bemusedly “ _I’m_ the one who was late. C’mon.” she grabbed hold of him and threw out her yo-yo, swinging them up and onto their usual date night rooftop, oblivious to the way Adrien’s mind raced.

He’d spent the entire afternoon-after being given a long lecture on his irresponsibility from father-pacing his room, and refreshing Twitter to see what was being said. Even Plagg’s obnoxious attempts to distract him hadn’t worked.

As Ladybug set him down, he blinked down at her, his heart sinking at her curious expression. 

“I-” he hesitated. “You really don’t know?” Why did _he_ have to be the one to tell her? 

“Know _what?_ Adrien you’re worrying me.” 

“Haven’t you been online today?”

“No,” she shrugged “I was doing homework all afternoon and haven’t actually been on my phone that much. Why?” Her eyes widened “is your dad making you do those semi intimate shoots again for the new line?”

Adrien winced. Right now, that would be preferable. “No, uh…” he sighed, fishing his phone out of his pocket and pulling up the article. “Someone posted a picture of us…” he handed her the phone. “Kissing.” 

_God,_ he should have been more careful! He was usually so good at noticing when there was someone taking photos of him, but he’d been...preoccupied. His cheeks flushed at the memory of Ladybug’s fingers tangling in his hair, of her body pressed against his as they kissed...Adrien shook his head, dispelling the memory. He couldn’t think of that right now...not now when…

Ladybug was still looking at the photo, his phone clenched tightly in her hand. Her expression was unreadable, but she’d gone pale, her mask standing out even more against her skin. 

Eventually, she looked up, her frown morphing into a tiny smile when she met his gaze. “Well…” she began, handing his phone back and beckoning for them to sit down. It didn’t escape his notice that today she sat far from the edge of the roof-farther from prying eyes and cameras. “It’s not an ideal situation, but” she shrugged “it doesn’t bother me. Really” 

Adrien couldn’t help but be sceptical. “Mhm. The media is already going crazy that”—he made air quotes— “ ‘Paris’ teen heartthrob is no longer single’. They’ll be hounding you for _days_. Not to mention the akumatized teenage girls you’re probably gonna have to fight.”

Ladybug snorted. “You have a very high opinion of yourself _Adrien Agreste_ ,” she raised an eyebrow “what makes you think that us being together will upset people enough to get akumatized?”

In response, Adrien simply jerked his thumb over his shoulder, where he knew a billboard with his face—one of many— stood.

“Okay, good point,” Ladybug pulled a face. “ _But”_ —she jabbed him in the chest with her pointer finger —“firstly, if people get akumatized over this, it’s not anyone’s fault but Hawkmoth’s.” She scowled. “ _He’s_ the asshole who won’t let anyone process their emotions in a healthy way. And secondly, I’m _Ladybug_. I can deal with akuma’s _and_ I’ve gotten used to being in the news-mostly- so I’ll be fine. Okay?”

Adrien’s heart skipped a beat, hope blooming in his chest, and he felt his shoulders relax for the first time that day. He hadn’t even realised it, but he’d half expected Ladybug to break things off, to get angry at him, say that he’d been too reckless and that she couldn’t continue a relationship with him with the added media pressure. He hadn’t let himself believe that this could be one of the outcomes-that Ladybug would be willing to put up with the pitfalls of his fame- and he felt a grin pull at his lips. “Well...if you’re sur—”

Ladybug cut him off with a kiss. 

He melted into the embrace, bringing his hand up to cup the back of her neck and drawing her closer, deepening their kiss. She was the first to pull away, her blue eyes searching his earnestly and he watched in a daze as she stroked his cheek, speaking softly, but firmly before leaning forward to peck him on the lips again. 

“I’m _sure_ , Adrien.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And all across Paris, teenage girls (and guys) cried, for their celebrity crushes were single no more.   
> Seriously though, teenage girl infatuation is REAL. I remember in school one of my friends was obsessed with Benedict Cumberbatch and was crying and moping around all day when he announced his engagement in The Times. I was like, 'sis, this is _not _it'. She even tried to look up the woman to see if she 'deserved' him lmao__


	35. Could you just hold me? (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just need to write a little hurt/comfort to feel something. Or: ya girl had a string of self loathing days and decided the best way to feel better would be to write her favourite character getting ALLLLL the comfort and hugs that she wishes she could have herself. 
> 
> I'm fine. Absolutely

_“-oth detained and awaiting trial, many people now find themselves asking what the future will hold for the beloved heroes of Paris-Ladybug and Chat No-”_ Marinette switched off the tv and threw the remote onto the table with a sigh. 

She’d thought that Hawkmoth's defeat would be a joyous occasion, the end of so many years of fighting-and for many, it was, but all she felt was hollow, and more than a little lost. 

_Gabriel Agreste_ was Hawkmoth. Of all the people in the city, it just _had_ to be him. Not for the first time that week, her mind strayed back to Adrien. When she’d visited him earlier that day, with Alya and Nino, he’d tried to put on a cheerful front, pretending nothing was the matter even though it was clear to all of them that he’d barely slept at all since the arrest. And when she’d hugged him, he’d been trembling, his arms tightening briefly around her before letting go.

And then there was Chat Noir. 

Marinette hadn’t seen _him_ , since the night of the battle. He’d taken off immediately afterwards, and—

Her breath hitched in her throat. Of course now that she could reveal herself to him he was nowhere to be found.

Heading up to her room, Marinette ignored her parents' concerned eyes on her back until her trap door was shut behind her and she sank down onto the floor. 

“What do I do, Tikki?” she asked “Chat still hasn’t answered any of my calls.”

“Maybe something came up?” her kwami offered, zipping out of her hiding place and nuzzling up to Marinette’s cheek. “I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon.”

She shook her head. “This just isn’t like him,” she muttered, pushing herself up and making her way to her desk. “He would have _told_ me-” a muffled _thump_ on the roof above her made her head snap up, and she stared at Tikki, wide eyed. “Is that…?”

“There’s only one way to find out, Marinette-go!” 

Marinette didn’t need to be told twice. Climbing quickly up her ladder, she opened the skylight window and popped her head out, cringing at the freezing wind that whipped her hair around her face and stung her cheeks as she looked around until she saw him. 

Chat Noir was slumped against the railing, barely seeming to notice the biting cold-or even her approach until she crouched down beside him, reaching out tentatively to touch his forearm. 

“Chat?” 

He jumped. “Oh, hey Marinette.” Chat tried to smile, though it seemed to take a lot of effort, and he soon gave up, his cat ears drooping on his head.

“Chat, it’s _freezing_ out here,” Marinette tugged on his hand “come inside, at least.” He followed without protest, and her heart constricted in her chest. No flirtatious comments, or silly puns. What had happened to her kitty?

“Where have you been?” she asked, sitting beside him where he’d curled on the chaise. “People are worried, you know.”

“Yeah, Ladybug’s been leaving me messages,” he shrugged weakly. “I just...I just can’t right now.”

He met her gaze then, and she saw how his cheeks were streaked with tears, his usually vibrant green eyes dull and filled with a deep sorrow. “Could you just...could you just hold me?”

“ _Oh, Chaton,_ come here, _”_ Marinette murmured, scooting closer and pulling his head into her lap. He clung tightly to her, wrapping his arms around her torso and pressing his face tightly to her stomach, soaking her shirt with tears. 

They didn’t speak for a long while, the only sound in the room was Chat’s hitched breathing as she ran her fingers through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp and behind his ears. 

Eventually, Chat pulled away, lying on his back to look at the ceiling, though his head remained in her lap while he seemed to gather his thoughts. “It’s like…” he began, his voice hoarse “it’s like, when I’m transformed, when I’m _Chat,_ it’s like I can pretend Hawkmoth isn’t my father.”

Marinette’s hand stilled.

He couldn’t mean—but then—that meant—

 _Adrien?_

She remembered the way he’d trembled when she hugged him earlier, as if he was barely holding himself together; the dark circles under his eyes, his attempts to be cheerful; how he’d—

Chat’s head butted gently against her hand, breaking her out of her thoughts, and Marinette looked down to see him staring anxiously up at her. 

_Oh._

Marinette leaned down, smoothing back Chat- _Adrien's_ hair from his face, and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “I’m glad you came to me,” she whispered, watching as he let out a shuddering breath, his eyes slipping shut at her gesture. Tears leaked from behind his closed eyelids and she wiped them away gently, “you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I really struggled with how to end this one lol but as soon as I saw this prompt I was like!! this has to be post hawkmoth's defeat! I'm a total sucker for characters comforting each other, and ngl Chat needs it


	36. What do you need me to do? (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today my evening got shittier than it was yesterday right after I started to write so idk how good this one is lol  
> Takes place after the events of ch30.

“Guys, I feel  _ so bad, _ ” Lila wrung her hands together, an expression of fake contrition on her face as she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the art room. “I’m gonna go apologise to Marinette again and see if I can help her portfolio.”

Adrien’s eyes narrowed when he saw Lila grab her coffee cup and he rose as well, shooting her a smile. “I’ll come with you,” he said brightly. “I wanted to talk to her anyway.”

Marinette had spent all her free time between classes this last week in the art room, working to redo her ruined portfolio. He’d barely seen her otherwise-electing to skip his visits as Chat so as not to unnecessarily distract her from the project. 

But it had been a week now since Lila had destroyed much of Marinette’s work, and it had become clear to him that she wouldn’t ask for help. Not unless it was offered completely unprompted. 

“Oh..great!” Lila exclaimed, her eyes flashing dangerously as she turned on her heel, not waiting for him to catch up. 

Hurrying forward, Adrien fell into step beside her. “You gonna pull the same trick twice?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You know  _ exactly _ what I mean, Lila.” Adrien’s voice hardened “and you’re gonna stop it. Right now.”

Lila scoffed “why would I do that? You really think you can prove anything? You can’t.” 

“I’m my fathers son,” Adrien said “that means I’ve picked up a few things over the years. I won’t tell you again, Lila. You’re going to  _ leave Marinette alone _ if you know what’s good for you.”

“Fine.” Lila must have finally seen something in his expression, because she scowled, throwing her coffee cup in a nearby bin and stalking in the other direction. “It was getting boring anyway.” 

Adrien watched her go, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and it wasn’t until Lila wasn't visible anymore that he turned and continued on his way to the art room.

“Hey, Marinette!” 

Marinette jumped at Adrien’s voice, her pencil skittering across the page, stopping-to his relief-just shy of the sketch she had begun. 

“A-Adrien!” she exclaimed, staring at him with wide eyes. “Know didn’t you-” Marinette shook her head “I didn’t know you did art.”

“I don’t.” he laughed, sliding into the seat beside her, “but I heard about what happened with your portfolio, and I thought I’d see if I could help you out with anything?”

Marinette stared uncomprehendingly at him for a long moment before she blinked, shaking her head. “Th-that’s very sweet of you to offer but I don’t need…”

Adrien interrupted her “Marinette,” he placed his hand over hers, his voice firm. “I  _ want  _ to help. Now what do you need me to do?”

She didn’t seem to hear him, her eyes fixated on where his hand covered hers, her cheeks flushed and Adrien pulled away, scratching behind his ear awkwardly.

“I-” Marinette seemed to consider something, before nodding finally, turning to flip through her folder. “Okay, you could uh…” her eyes alighted on a piece of paper and she pulled it out with a triumphant “aha!” flipping it around to show him. 

“You could help me write out these artist studies? I have the notes here-they didn’t get ruined and you don’t need to write a lot-” she showed him another artist study as an example. “These are the sort of layouts I’ve been doing, so if you could do it like this?” Marinette bit her lip, watching carefully as he studied the page.

Several images of the artists' works were pasted onto the paper, surrounded by paragraphs of writing detailing the artists life and style of art. Adrien hummed “yeah this seems simple enough.”

They worked together in companionable silence until the bell rang for their next lesson, and Adrien helped Marinette gather her things. Their fingers brushed as he handed her her pencil case, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the blush that stained her cheeks once more. “Hey, you have a free period after this one right?” at her nod, he continued “I have one too! I’ll see you then and I can finish these studies for you, yeah?” 

Adrien didn’t wait for a response, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He paused when he felt a hand on his arm, looking back at Marinette who met his gaze earnestly. “Thank you, Adrien.” 

Putting his hand on hers, Adrien grinned. “It was my pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had absolutely no idea what Adrien could have gotten Lila with so I went with good old fashioned vague threats but also I remembered that scene in [Reign](https://youtu.be/uccsXimUWro) that goes something like this:
> 
> Francis: A dying king is capable of anything. Antoine, I could kill you. I could march on Navarre and crush it.  
> Antoine: are you threatening me with war? Now your father was a tyrant and a brute, but you're not that kind of king. It's not in your nature. I'm going back to Navarre  
> Francis: *stabs Antoine's guard*  
> Antoine: my god, have you gone mad?  
> Francis: You misjudged me Antoine. I AM my father's son.
> 
> I just think that even though he's such a soft kid, Adrien would have DEFINITELY learned a few things from his dad about how to deal with people, he just doesn't like doing it because he doesn't actually want to be like Gabriel lol


	37. Here, drink this, you'll feel better (Ladynoir)

“Pound it!” the two heroes fistbumped as they watched the purified butterfly fly away after another successful battle. 

Chat turned to leave, his ring giving it’s final warning but he glanced back questioningly when Ladybug caught his hand. “Are you okay, Chat? You only made one pun today” she smirked “you run out of good ones?”

“-ver!” Chat gasped in mock offence. He frowned, cleared his throat and tried again. “Never! I just have a sore throat. See you at patrol?” 

Ladybug nodded, letting him go before swinging away herself to detransform.

The akuma battle had only taken them an hour or so, but it was already getting dark, streetlights turning on to illuminate the pavement as she made her way home. Picking up her pace, Marinette wracked her mind to try to remember if she had all the ingredients she would need. 

Fighting was always a nuisance on the best of days, but in winter as the days continued to get shorter-and colder-Marinette found herself becoming more susceptible to developing a cold, and it seemed Chat was experiencing the same. 

She’d have to fix that. 

* * *

Ladybug was late for patrol.

Chat didn’t mind. He sat on the edge of their rooftop, swinging his baton idly from hand to hand as he waited, watching people pass by below and waving whenever someone noticed him. 

He was just about to call her, shivering a little as the wind bit at his face, when Ladybug arrived, plopping down beside him. 

“Hey,” she said breathlessly “sorry I was late, I didn’t realise what time it was.” 

Chat raised an eyebrow. “Never thought I’d see the day where I was more punctual than you.” 

“Don’t get used to it.” She rolled her eyes “I was making something,” she paused “for you.”

“For _me?_ Why than-” he coughed “thank y-” Ladybug thumped him on the back as he devolved into a coughing fit, doubling over, his eyes watering even as he seemed to cough out half a lung. Ugh. And he’d even _taken_ cold medicine before patrol specifically so this wouldn’t happen!

“Here, drink this,” Ladybug shoved a small thermos into his hands “you’ll feel better.” 

“Um.” Chat said. Unscrewing the cap, he took a careful sniff, trying to discern the different spices within. It certainly _smelled_ nice. “Okay, but what’s in it?”

_“_ Oh _,_ it’s just cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and lemon. Oh, and honey.” 

Well, that didn’t sound too bad. Lifting the thermos to his lips, Chat took a long sip, closing his eyes and humming contentedly as he felt the drink soothe his throat. “Huh, thanks, bugaboo.” he grinned across at her. I never knew you cared.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, though a smile played about her lips. “I’m just making sure you don’t get sick. We both need to be on top form, remember?” 

“Mhm” Chat teased, “doesn’t change the fact that you _made_ this for me.” To prove his point, he took another sip relishing the way it warmed him on it’s way down.

“Ok, you keep talking like that and I won’t give you _this._ ” she pulled a jar out of her yo-yo, brandishing it in front of his face. “I was gonna give it to you so that you could make this drink at home, but I don’t think I will anymore.”

Her threat didn’t have the desired effect however, and Chat brightened. “Aw, bugaboo, you made _more?”_

“No-yes-I-” Ladybug sputtered, her face flushing almost as red as her suit as she scrambled to her feet, practically throwing the jar at him. “ _Shut up!”_

He caught the jar, grin widening when he saw the instructions she’d taped to the side “this is _so cute!”_ he cooed, looking up just in time to see Ladybug backing away, throwing her yo-yo behind her.

“I’ll gatrol- _patrol!_ I’ll patrol that side tonight!” She didn’t wait for his response, swinging across the street, the sound of his laughter following her as she made her hasty escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme just say: this drink is NO JOKE. I make it when I start to feel like i'm coming down with a cold and by the next day I'm perfectly fine. And you store it in a jar so it's quicker to make! I don't do that anymore but basically all you do is boil all those ingredients Marinette listed(except the honey), simmer it for 10 minutes, let it cool, pour it into a jar and then add honey to the jar, mix and refrigerate.  
> Then when you want to make the drink, just take a spoonful from the jar into a mug and pour boiling water over it and add more honey and lemon as desired.
> 
> You gotta really make sure to watch how much ginger you put in though, because otherwise it BURNS.


	38. Is this okay? (Marichat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a little ✨spicy✨

“Aha!” Marinette exclaimed, snipping the last piece of thread and holding up her dress for Chat to see. “Done- _ finally!” _

Chat whistled appreciatively, giving her a high five. “Oh that is  _ nice!” _ he said “where are you gonna wear it?”

“I don’t know yet,” she shrugged, standing up and stretching with a groan. Being hunched over a sewing machine for hours was never good for her back. “But I need to try it on, I’ll just be a second.”

It was  _ several  _ seconds later that she came back from the bathroom, climbing slowly through her door. “Hey...um, Chat?” 

He looked up from where he was doing a wordsearch—pen stuck behind his ear—and froze.  “Would you mind closing up the back? I can’t reach.”  Chat didn’t respond at first, and she glanced over at him, continuing, turning so that her back faced him. “Honestly, I should have done a side zip, but it’s too late now and the hooks are easier to hide, so...Chat?” 

“Nngh” his voice was strangled and she sent a quizzical look over her shoulder at him. His wide eyes were fixed on her back and Marinette realised with a start just how  _ exposed _ she was. 

Chat shook his head, blinking rapidly “C-” he cleared his throat “uh, yeah, come here I’ll do it.” 

Neither of them spoke while he fastened the hooks, his claws grazing the back of her neck slightly as he gathered her hair and moved it over her shoulder. Marinette felt his warm breath on her skin and stilled, hardly daring to breathe as she felt Chat’s fingers linger on the small of her back, until he said “there...all done.” 

Exhaling shakily, Marinette smoothed down the front of her dress, turning around to thank Chat for his help.  He hadn’t moved though, and startled her with his proximity, his hands coming to settle on her hips, steadying her before she fell backwards.

Chat’s eyes roved over her from head to toe, drinking in the sight of her in the dress, the look in his eyes making heat pool low in her belly.  Though she was no longer at risk of falling, his hands didn’t move from her hips, and without thinking, Marinette found herself reaching up to clutch his shoulders, seized with the sudden dizzying desire to  _ kiss him. _

He seemed to have the same thought, his eyes meeting hers briefly before flicking down to her lips and she saw his adam's apple bob in his throat. 

Marinette felt the breath catch in her throat as he leaned in slowly-so slowly she could see the light blush that dusted his cheeks beneath the mask, and could admire in some distant part of her mind the way that her bedroom lamp reflected in his eyes as he paused, meeting her eyes again. 

“Is this okay?” Chat asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and, not trusting herself to speak, Marinette could only nod. 

That was all the confirmation Chat needed before he closed the short distance between them, capturing her lips with his own. 

Marinette sighed into the kiss, thinking faintly that it was a good thing Chat was still holding onto her when her legs almost buckled underneath her.  The kiss was not what she expected-it was better. He tasted sweet, like the passionfruit macarons he’d had earlier. It was slow and tender, his lips- warm, and slightly chapped-moving languidly against hers. 

Sliding her hands across his shoulders, Marinette  ran her fingers through his hair, tugging lightly at the golden strands, smiling against Chat’s lips when the action made him groan in the back of his throat. 

Eventually, they pulled away, breathing heavily, and Chat rested his forehead against hers. “That was…” Marinette breathed “that was uh...really something.”

Chat huffed out a laugh, dipping his head to press another kiss to the corner of her mouth, lingering there and looking up at her through hooded eyes. “You need to wear this dress more often.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but seriously, bollywood item songs are AMAZING to listen to when writing spicy scenes lmao. One's I listened to while writing this were:   
> [Dilbar](https://youtu.be/TRa9IMvccjg)  
> [Awari](https://youtu.be/b5WdL51te0A)  
> [Aga Bai Aiyyaa](https://youtu.be/CHwlXtF3zXs) (the dancing is absolutely _hypnotising _in this one)__


	39. We'll figure it out (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is endlessly amusing to me that I-a girl who has never been in a relationship/never done ANYTHING with anyone, can write something a little spicy and make you guys react like you did in the last chapter. I just-its so funny to me sksksks

Marinette barely noticed the tray of macarons dropping from her numb fingers, bouncing once off her foot and landing face down, the cookies that hadn’t broken on impact rolling across the floor in every direction.

She didn’t notice Nathalie sniff disdainfully at her clumsiness, or papa’s hands tightening on her shoulder, his outrage on her behalf. 

All she was aware of was the blood roaring in her ears, her mind racing as she processed Monsieur Agreste’s words-his _threat_ -his face distorted on Nathalie’s tablet through the tears in her eyes. 

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t break Adrien’s heart, but then...how could she be the one to take away his freedom? 

Marinette needed time. Time to think, and make some kind of plan. Squaring her shoulders, she spoke quietly, blinking back her tears. “Can I have a few days?” she paused “please?”

For a long moment, Monsieur Agreste was silent, until… “very well,” he said eventually “but you _must_ break up with Adrien by the end of this week if you don’t want him to be pulled out of school.”

Nodding to show that she understood, Marinette watched as he terminated the call, as Nathalie left, plunging the bakery into silence. 

“Marinette-” maman began, but she shook her head, shrugging off papa’s hands and running upstairs. Tikki flew out of her purse as soon as she got to her room, zipping up to hover in front of her face, her blue eyes wide and troubled. 

“What are you going to do, Marinette?”

“I don’t know yet,” she replied grimly, taking out her phone to text Adrien. After a second thought, she texted Alya as well. The more people to brainstorm with the better. “But I’m not gonna give in to that...that _bully!”_

* * *

“Hey Tom, Sabine!” Adrien greeted Marinette’s parents cheerfully. “Is Marinette upstairs? She asked me to come over.”

The two of them exchanged a look, too fast for Adrien to decipher, and Tom nodded, coming out from behind the counter to clasp him by the shoulder, squeezing gently, a strange expression on his face. Not for the first time that day, Adrien felt a prickle of unease, like a sliver of ice down his back. Shoving it down, he instead took the cookie Tom offered him, making his way around to the back into the apartment. 

He was halfway through the door when Tom called out to him. “You’re always welcome here Adrien. No matter what happens, that will never change.” 

“Um…I know…?” 

Tom seemed to understand his confusion, smiling and waving him off, turning to greet a customer who had just walked in. “Go upstairs now, Marinette’s waiting for you.”

* * *

“-the _hell_ does he think he is? He can’t get away with this!”

Marinette sighed from where she sat at the kitchen counter. “I just can’t believe my idol turned out to be such a raging asshole,” she mumbled, resting her head on the cool granite countertop, trying to soothe the throbbing headache that pulsed between her eyes as she watched Alya pace back and forth across the kitchen. 

Alya had come as soon as she could-after Marinette had burst into tears over the phone, and now they were attempting to brainstorm ideas for what they could do.

Key word: attempting. 

The plate of cookies papa had given them to share sat untouched on the table beside Alya’s notebook filled with half baked ideas and scribbled out plans. After half an hour, Alya had resorted to ranting in earnest, and Marinette was just tired. 

So, so tired. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply to try and alleviate the pressure in her head, but it was no use. Marinette wouldn’t be able to feel better yet, not until-

The apartment door creaked open “guys?” Marinette’s head whipped up at Adriens voice, spinning around and almost slipping off the stool she was sitting on before grabbing hold of the counter to steady herself. 

Adrien’s brow was furrowed as he took in the scene before him; stepping further into the apartment, and coming over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist when she stood to greet him. “Hey,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips “what’s going on?” 

Marinette shook her head, unable to speak, her heart constricting in her chest at the concern she saw in his eyes.

How could she lose him? This beautiful, perfect boy who loved her so much? How could she break his heart when she had sought so long to be the one inside it? 

A sob built in her throat at the thought, and she threw her arms around Adrien, burying her face in the crook of his neck, finally allowing her tears to fall when he was there to hold her, his hands rubbing soothingly up and down her back. 

Distantly, she heard Alya excuse herself, and she allowed Adrien to lead her over to the couch, letting go only when they sat down, though he tried to pull her into his lap. 

If Adrien had looked worried before, he looked downright _frantic_ now, and Marinette swallowed. “Adrien…” twisting her hands together in her lap, she began haltingly, “Y-your father-”

His face shuttered as the whole horrible story came spilling out of her, but the worst part was how he didn’t even seem surprised at all that his father would ask such a thing of her. 

When she was finished, he sat silent for a long while before meeting her eyes, and Marinette was startled by the fear that she saw in them. “You’re not…” Adrien swallowed “you’re not going to do what he says, are you?”

“No! _Never!”_ Marinette exclaimed. “We'll figure it out, okay?” Reaching up to cup his face, she stroked his cheek gently as he leaned into the touch with a sigh. 

Pulling his head down to meet hers, she sealed her words with a kiss, feeling him exhale shakily against her lips, his arms coming around her to hug her tight.

“I’m not gonna lose you, Adrien. I _won’t._ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it only took me 39 chapters to finally acknowledge Chat Blanc


	40. It's okay, I've got you (Ladynoir)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is post reveal ladynoir because honestly I love that dynamic

If Chat hadn’t been listening for it, he would have missed the frantic beeping that came from Ladybug’s earrings as her timer ran out. “Go-I’ll hold him off!” he yelled. 

Darting around the akuma, he threw the now defunct lucky charm at him, diverting his attention to distract from Ladybug as she made her escape. 

She hesitated for a second, looking between the two of them but he waved her off, “I’ll be as fast as I can,” she promised, running to find a hiding place where she could safely detransform. 

That’s when it happened.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo and at that same instant, a purple butterfly imposed itself over the akuma’s eyes. Before Chat could register what was happening, the akuma spun on its heel and threw a blast at Ladybug, hitting her in midair, and with a surprised cry, she lost her grip on the yo-yo and began to fall, her terrified eyes meeting his own across the square.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. 

Chat roared-a sound of primal rage erupting out of his throat- his body twisting out of the way of another blast from the akuma as he leapt towards Ladybug, catching her in her arms mere seconds before she hit the ground. 

Her arms came up around his neck, and any other time, he would have relished the touch, but he barely felt it, desperately casting around for a place for them to hide. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” he murmured in her ear, trying to reassure her-and himself- as she trembled in his arms. 

“Chat watch out!” Ladybug yelled, and he held her close, rolling out of the way just as the ground they’d been on was reduced to a smoking crater. 

“Shit,” he hissed, “okay, hold on m’lady.” Ducking down behind a nearby car, he waited for the akuma to walk past their hiding place and then when his back was turned, extended his baton, carrying them away. 

The pink light of her transformation engulfed her just as he landed on her balcony and Tikki took one look at the two of them-at the smoke spiralling into the sky across the city-and dove into Marinette’s purse to recharge. 

Setting her down gently, Chat began to frantically look her over for any injuries, though she tried to push him away. “It’s fine-I’m  _ fi-” _ Marinette broke off with a gasp, falling back into the chair. “Maybe I’m not fine,” she said weakly, clutching her abdomen where she’d been hit. 

“What is it-what’s wrong?” Chat’s hands hovered uselessly over her, not knowing where to land.

Marinette whimpered. “It  _ hurts”  _ she closed her eyes, breathing deeply, and when she met his gaze again, her eyes were glassy with pain. “Like I can’t move I-” she cried out “I can’t-I can’t fight like this. Take the earrings.  _ Quickly!” _

Chat nodded, releasing his transformation and dropping to his knees, he cupped the back of Marinette’s neck, drawing her head forward to press a kiss to her temple. “I won’t be long,” he promised, swapping their miraculouses before Plagg could ask any questions. 

“Stay with her,” he ordered his kwami, and Plagg nodded, his green eyes solemn. 

Finally, with the earrings on, he looked over at Tikki, who had emerged from Marinette’s purse. “You ready?” at her nod, he grinned.

It was time for Mister Bug to make a comeback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, so I've started writing a ladynoir one shot and you know it's gonna hurt when just writing the OUTLINE makes you cry oop- but writing these chapters is a very good reprieve lol


	41. Wow (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh, most of this is stuff I cut from the next fic in the bollywood playlist, but I didn't want to delete it forever, so here we have cute first date adrinette!

“Girls!” maman called up to Marinette and Alya in her room. “Adrien’s here!”

_ “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod” _ Marinette jumped up from where she’d been sitting on her chaise, smoothing down her dress and peering in the mirror to check her hair and makeup. “Are you  _ sure _ this dress is a good idea?” she fretted. It was the first time she’d worn this particular dress-had in fact relegated it to the back of her wardrobe for a ‘special occasion’ and had forgotten all about it until Alya had found it. She twisted around to look at herself from all angles, taking in the lace bodice-making sure all the buttons were fastened in the back, the way the skirt flared out and  _ just _ brushed her knees, the three quarter sleeves... “it’s not too much? Should I wear a cardigan? And—”

“Girl, you look  _ great, _ ” Alya assured her-for the thirtieth time in the last hour- shoving her purse into her hands and herding her towards the door. “Now get down there for your date!”

Her date. With  _ Adrien. _

Marinette could hardly believe it herself; had spent the last day wandering around in a daze, replaying the moment he’d asked her out over and over in her mind as if it was a dream. And yet here she was. Going on an ice cream date. With Adrien. 

_ What was she doing? _

Her heels dug into the ground and she turned panicked eyes onto Alya. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.

Alya’s brow furrowed. “What? Why? ”

“I can’t do this!” Marinette repeated herself “I’m gonna make a total idiot of myself and then he’ll never want to see me again, let  _ alone _ be friends, and then our friendship group will break up because of it and I can’t do it-I can’t, I-”

“Okay that’s enough.” Alya grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly, looking her in the eyes as she spoke. “You are going on this date, and you will enjoy yourself, and it will be  _ fantastic _ . Got it?” 

Marinette nodded, not trusting herself to speak, heart hammering wildly in her chest. Alya grinned. 

“Now go!”

* * *

Adrien wasn’t easily rattled. 

He’d faced the deadliest akumas after all-been thrown across the city, been beaten and brainwashed by them, and still he continued to show up to every fight. There wasn’t much that scared him anymore. 

That being said, he didn’t think he’d ever been so nervous in his entire life as he was waiting for Marinette to come downstairs for their date. Marinette’s mother had gone back downstairs to the bakery after letting him up, and now all he had to do was wait. 

He resisted the urge to pace or fidget, grip tightening on the flowers he’d bought for her instead.

He could feel Plagg snickering quietly in his pocket, could hear the hushed whispers of Marinette and Alya upstairs, discussing whatever it was that girls did before a date. 

Eventually, the door to Marinette’s bedroom creaked open, and Adrien looked up just as she stepped into view. He felt his jaw slacken, eyes widening as they raked over her from head to toe. 

Marinette's hair was down, falling in dark waves around her face, adorned only with a silver headband. The dress she wore was simple-but Adrien found himself staring anyway, mesmerised by the sight.

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “W-wow,” he breathed, “you look…” Marinette looked away first, her cheeks flushing red and Adrien hurried forward as she stepped off the stairs. “You look amazing,” he said sincerely, pressing the pink roses into her hands. “Hey-they match!” 

She didn’t reply at once, staring up at him, her mouth slightly open before coming back to herself, shaking her head a little. “I-thanks. You cleaned up pretty well yourself.” Marinette’s eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth, but not quite fast enough to mask her mortified “ _ eep!” _

“I’m...let me just put these in water. I'll be one second-” Marinette continued babbling, as she backed away from him, spinning on her heel and hurrying to the kitchen.

Adrien couldn’t help it-he laughed. In less than a minute, Marinette had managed to dissolve his lingering nervousness, and when she returned, he saw she was trying to suppress a smile herself.

Holding out his arm, he allowed her to link her arm with his, opening the door for her. 

“Shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Absolutely LOVE the guy getting speechless at how pretty his girl looks trope that is TOP TIER  
> Also, I was listening to [Mere Rashke Qamar](https://youtu.be/WIivV5PQGIY) when writing this and this song is such a classic it always makes me so happy. It's actually on my list for the bollywood playlist I mean??
> 
> _my envy of the moon,  
>  when your eyes first met mine,  
> I was filled with joy ___  
> _my heart was filled with sand  
>  and my life was always thirsty.  
> today, when these scorching desserts  
> and this village of love  
> have been drenched in rain,  
> I was filled with joy ___
> 
> Gotta say, calling someone you love 'the envy of the moon' is really something


	42. Good Luck (Ladrien)

Adrien really should have been more focused on the akuma. It was, after all, one of _his_ fans that had gotten akumatized, and he really did need to transform so that he could take care of it. 

These were all very important, pressing concerns that should have been taking up his mind. But it was hard to think about those things when Ladybug’s arm was around him, his body pressed against hers, his arm around her neck, holding on tightly as she propelled them to safety, the wind whipping in his hair. 

Plagg would _definitely_ have a lot to say to him later-making his points by waving his stinky cheese in Adrien’s face-but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. Let Plagg tell him off. _He was being saved by Ladybug!_

He glanced up then, taking in the hard set of Ladybug’s jaw, the grim determination in her eyes, and was that...was that a _blush_ dusting her cheeks?

No…Adrien berated himself. Why would she blush around _him?_ It was probably just the wind on her cheeks. 

At that moment, she looked down at him, and Adrien whipped his head in the other direction, pretending he hadn’t been staring at her like a lovesick _idiot._ Sneaking another glance out of the corner of his eye, he saw that her cheeks were now tinged a little more pink. 

Huh. Maybe it _was_ a blush.

“Alright-” Ladybug said, finally landing on a rooftop. Setting him down, she turned to look back at where they’d come from. “We’re far enough from the akuma for you to be safe, so you should stay here until the fight is over, alright?” 

Distantly, Adrien realised how impractical it was to be left here-it would take even longer to get across the city to join Ladybug, but…”Yeah! That’s fine Ladybug!” he grinned “thanks for getting me out of there.”

Ladybug’s blushed. “O-of course, Adrien.” She glanced over her shoulder, when a loud explosion sounded “I need to get back, but will you be okay here?”

“Don’t worry about it-” Adrien waved a hand “I’ll get my bodyguard to pick me up afterwards.”

“I-” she hesitated. “Okay.” he watched as she went to the edge of the roof, admiring the figure she cut against the blue sky, and before he could stop himself, he called out to her. 

“Ladybug!”

She looked back at him, startled, hand going to her yo-yo, eyes darting across the roof, searching for any threats. Adrien laughed, stepping forward.

“Good luck!” he said “it looks like a pretty bad one out there.”

“Oh-” Ladybug’s shoulders relaxed, her face breaking out in a smile, eyes crinkling a little behind the mask, and she nodded. “Thank you, Adrien.”


	43. I'll wait (Ladynoir)

It was an unseasonably cold night in Paris, but the brisk air did nothing to cool Ladybug's flushed skin. For all she knew, it could have been the height of summer.

Chat’s mouth was hot on her throat, trailing kisses up her jaw, his tongue tasting the salt on her skin before capturing her lips with his own. He tugged lightly with his teeth at her bottom lip, eliciting a soft moan from deep within her throat, and she pulled him closer, burying her fingers in his hair. 

Chat laughed thickly, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. “Someone’s a little eager tonight,” he teased, but before she could respond—or pull his mouth back up to hers—a loud _boom_ rocked the building they were on, followed by the characteristic maniacal laughter of an akuma.

It took them a moment to register the sound, both of them pausing to listen, trying to quiet their heavy breathing, but then it came again and Chat groaned, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

“There's no chance we can just ignore that, is there?”

“Nope,” Ladybug giggled, disentangling herself reluctantly from his embrace, turning towards the source of the disturbance. 

Truthfully, she was almost glad they’d been interrupted. At least a fight would help to clear her mind, and then she’d be able to have the conversation she’d been putting off for weeks now. 

Provided she didn’t pounce on him again in a post-battle high, of course. 

No. Ladybug shook herself. She _had_ to exercise self control. She _had to._ But not yet. Later.

Glancing over her shoulder, she suppressed a smile at Chat’s put out expression. “Come on, _Chaton,_ duty calls.” 

* * *

The akuma turned out to be a young man enraged at a tv channel for changing the air time of a beloved show— _10.30, Thursday, that’s Real Hustle time!—_ and was defeated in record time. 

After making sure that he would get home alright, Chat turned to her with a grin, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Now, where were we, m’lady?”

“Chat we need to talk.”

Immediately his smile dropped. “What’s the matter bugaboo?” 

Her earrings beeped and she glanced around quickly. “I need to recharge. Meet me in ten minutes?” 

He was already waiting for her when she arrived, twirling his baton between his hands, giving no indication that he’d heard her approach. Now that they were alone again, she had to resist the urge to simply go and resume their earlier activities, putting off the task once more. 

_I can do this_ , she thought to herself, taking a deep breath. _Just say it._

Moving to sit beside him, Ladybug left a gap large enough to fit another person in between them. Just in case. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Chat gave her an easy smile, and unconsciously, she leaned closer to him, closing the distance between them. Chat didn’t move, though he watched her in bemusement until she realised what she was doing and jumped back as though electrified. 

“ _Wecantkeepdoingthis!”_ She blurted out, unable to keep it in any longer. 

Chat tilted his head. “Doing what?”

“ _This!”_ Ladybug gestured to the two of them “making out during patrols, and just...just _everything!”_ Now that she’d begun, she couldn’t stop, the words pouring out of her in a flood, everything she’d needed to say ever since that first kiss, months ago.

“Right now, it’s just casual, right? But I’ve seen movies! I know what happens next, and I can’t-I _can’t_ risk it right now-” She didn’t mention the feelings that already kept her up at night, the giddy thrill she got whenever she saw him, whenever he smiled at her or postured ridiculously, or kissed her senseless, leaving her breathless and yearning for more. 

“I’m the Guardian,” she continued, “I have so many _responsibilities_ , and we still haven’t defeated Hawkmoth, and god knows how long _that_ will take. I can’t add a relationship to that, Chaton, I just can’t. What if things go wrong? Then our partnership will suffer and I just… it’s too dangerous, I can’t do that-I can’t do that to _you_ . You deserve to have a _proper_ relationship with someone. Someone with a normal life, who doesn’t have to worry about all of these things, and-and that person isn’t me. I’m sorry.” She trailed off with a pathetic shrug, looking down at her hands as she waited for his rebuttal.

It didn’t come. 

Her heart sank with every second that passed without a response, her shoulders hunching, trying to make herself as small as possible.Glancing up at him through her eyelashes, she saw an emotion she couldn’t identify swimming in his green eyes. 

“Right, well…” her voice trembled “I guess that’s it, then. I’ll uh...I’ll go now.” Blinking back tears, she got to her feet. She’d only taken a few steps when—

“I’ll wait.” Chat’s words were deafening in the quiet air. 

Ladybug spun around, nearly colliding with Chat’s chest behind her. She met his gaze in disbelief. “ _What?_ No, I can’t ask that from y—” 

“You’re not,” Chat interrupted her. Taking her hands in his own, he entwined their fingers together as he spoke, meeting her gaze steadily. “ _I’m_ saying that. I’ll wait. But don’t ask me to move on from you, because I can’t.” Taking her palm, he pressed it against his chest, where she could feel the steady _thump-thump-thump_ of his heart. “There’s only one person in here, and nobody could take her place. So I’ll wait, if that’s alright with you.”

“But…” Ladybug struggled to find the words, settling instead on “but it could be _years_!”

The corner of Chat’s mouth ticked up in a smile and he laughed softly, “haven’t you figured it out yet, my lady?” Reaching up to wipe away the tears that had escaped her eyes without her notice, he stroked her cheek, leaning in to murmur in her ear. “I’d wait forever for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The akuma in this was inspired by this FANTASTIC scene from [Being Human](https://youtu.be/1pUnL5Sd458)
> 
> Also lol the whole waiting thing just reminded me of the JLS song 'Everybody in Love' so I've had that stuck in my head all day. Haven't heard that song since I was 12 years old bloody hell. Idk about anywhere else, but JLS were the boyband pretty much every teen girl in the UK was obsessed with before One Direction formed lmao


	44. I dreamt about you last night (Adrinette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um. This happened.
> 
> Bear with me, this is a little period piece set during WW1

_10th September 1915_

My dearest Adrien,

I pray that my letter finds you in good health and that the war has not taken a terrible toll on you. The soldiers who have arrived on leave tell awfully dreadful stories about what it is like to anyone who will listen, and just the thought of you enduring such things was enough to make me terribly sick.

I could barely stand to listen to it, but thankfully, Alya saw how ghastly pale my face had become and made an excuse for us to leave. 

Oh, listen to me! You must think me such a terrible woman-barely able to stomach _hearing_ about the war when it is you who is fighting in it. 

Darling I do miss you so terribly. Why, I even dreamt about you last night—I dreamt of when we had first begun to see each other—remember those long, long walks in the park when you were so skittish and longed only to hold my hand? And then how you first kissed me underneath that large oak tree, and afterwards, the only thing I could think to say was ‘finally!’ as I had been waiting for you to do that for so many weeks?

The strangest thing of all was that when I awoke, I felt your presence so keenly beside me that I dared not open my eyes. I must have laid there for ten minutes or more with my eyes screwed tightly shut just so that I could pretend that you were there. 

There are a thousand more things that I could write, but maman is calling for me now, so this shall have to suffice. I will eagerly await your letter, as I have all the rest.

Yours always,

Marinette

* * *

_22/9/15_

Darling Marinette,

I do not believe there is a single person in this world who could think of you as terrible, least of all me. How could I, when you are such an extraordinarily kind, beautiful woman, and the owner of my heart?

While it is true that the suffering here is great—there is not much that those soldiers could exaggerate about this place—you should not worry about what I am enduring, for even when the rifle fire and shrapnel fires over head, and even when we have been in the trenches up to our waists in water, the cold and miserable experience is alleviated when I think of you. 

The others ask me how I manage to remain as optimistic as I—or at least not as glum and downtrodden—and I have taken to telling them that I have a lucky charm. I thought you’d like that nickname. 

My lucky charm.

I must confess that my greatest fear in these trenches is not that I may die. Rather, it is that you may forget me; that some other man may sweep you off your feet while I am gone and I shall return to you looking at me with a polite smile as if we are mere acquaintances. I do not think that I could stand such a thing. You have no idea then, of the joy it brought me to read your last letter and learn that you dream of me as I do you. Even so, I hope that soon, we will not have to dream of each other, for the distance between us will be gone and you will be in my arms instead. 

With all my love,

Adrien

P.S give my best to your parents. I must continue to make a good impression on them after all.

* * *

_30th September 1915_

My dearest Adrien,

Firstly, I am very cross that you would think that I could love another when I have you. It does not matter a whit to me how long you have been gone, or will be gone, only that you return safely to me so that we may wed and I can put all of your fears to rest. 

It pleases me greatly that I am able to help you even just a little from so far away, as I have been feeling rather useless lately with everything that is going on with the war effort. Knowing that I am your lucky charm (how sweet! I could not stop smiling all morning when I read that) has put me in a fantastically cheerful mood, though I suspect that you knew that would be the outcome when you wrote the words. 

Secondly, I read a book recently that Alya had let me borrow, and it contained the most romantic thing-I immediately thought that we must try it as well. Every night, we should look up at the moon, and take comfort in the fact that though we are apart, we look at the same sky, at the same moon. Perhaps some nights, we may find ourselves looking at it at the same time and may feel the others presence, even just a little, while we do so. 

Oh please, lets try it! Isn’t it just the most _romantic_ thing? 

Love always,

Marinette

P.S maman and papa send their regards, and wish you well

P.P.S I have enclosed a small photograph of myself for you. If I am to be your lucky charm, then you should have a talisman as well, don’t you think? 

* * *

_7/10/15_

Darling Marinette,

I cannot thank you enough for that photograph you sent me, for it is a balm to my soul to be able to look upon your face. Though I must admit that my yearning for you has grown ever stronger as a result. Where before I only dreamed of you and was satisfied, now, my fingers itch to run through your hair, to touch your soft skin, and feel the hot blush that blooms against your cheeks. I regret it now, how I took for granted the time I had with you, I did not appreciate it enough, and now I feel those days like something sharp in my heart.

The only thing I could think to do was look at the moon, as you requested, and you were right. Knowing that you are standing out there on your balcony, doing the same, and thinking of me has bought me an immeasurable amount of comfort. Especially now, when it is so very difficult to remain true to myself. 

It has been so difficult Marinette.

They say that war changes a man, and it is true—I have seen many of my fellow soldiers lose themselves as this terrible war progresses. And yet, in the darkest of times, when I am in the deepest pits of despair and feel as though I will never escape; when I feel that I will never return back from this war to hold you, and kiss you, and marry you; I find myself looking at your words, and your photograph, and I think of your heart as my light, burning so very brightly and tethering me to the earth, allowing me to return to myself.

To return to _you._

With all my love,

Adrien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but...I wasn't too sure about this one but I actually really like it! I love reading stories told through letters and this was really fun, mostly because I did maybe five minutes of research MAXIMUM and then winged it. Hence no actual war stuff lol  
> Honestly, sometimes I really wonder what's going on up in my brain because all I thought today was 'hey I think it would be cool to do an adrinette chapter set in the early 20th century' and then BAM my brain went 'ok do ww1 letters' and here we are


End file.
